Masamitsu Nozawa, Kenta Ishiguro, Tohru Shiraiwa (Masamitsu Nozawa Building Workshop)

This is a renovation of the Office and Hall of All Japan Seamen’s Union, designed by Masato Otaka and completed in 1964. Sixty years after its completion, demolition and rebuilding were once considered. However, prompted by renewed engagement between the union organization and architectural culture, it was decided to renovate and preserve the building.
To preserve this building—a vessel of history, culture, and memory—while updating and modifying it to meet contemporary needs, the renovation interpreted the original design’s generous framework and aspiration toward publicness. The work was carried out in response to these intentions. We attempted a renovation that is not a restoration of the past, does not hinder future reinterpretation, and is befitting a building that will continue to live on.