What is needed to keep cities updated?
What is needed to keep cities updated?
──Thank you very much for your thought-provoking talk, which began with "Life & Work" and went on to cover the relationship between architecture, cities, and people. I would like to now take some questions from the audience.
──Thank you very much for your thought-provoking talk, which began with "Life & Work" and went on to cover the relationship between architecture, cities, and people. I would like to now take some questions from the audience.
(question)
As someone who creates spaces for work and life, I've noticed an increase in people who share time, have side jobs, and live in multiple locations. What do you think about the relationship between these people and "wealth" and "happiness"? (NTT Urban Development Design Management Office Hayashi)
Shigematsu
When thinking of sharing, the first thing that comes to mind is a "shared office," but there are also people who are attached to owning space and things. I doubt whether society as a whole will really shift from ownership to sharing.
Hayashi
One aspect of the popularity of the word "shared" may be that it's simply because it's new, trendy, and seems cool. So, if offices themselves become something people think is "cool," some people may no longer insist on shared offices. In other words, whether shared or owned, the fundamental value of seeking a comfortable way of life remains the same.
--For example, shared childcare facilities are being created in response to the shortage of childcare facilities in urban areas. In many cases, sharing is not an "end" but rather a "means" to provide resources for which there is a shortage. When demand is found, not only sharing but also the means of supply are naturally met. Rather than arguing about whether or not something should be shared, why not think about it as a question of the balance between supply and demand?
--For example, shared childcare facilities are being created in response to the shortage of childcare facilities in urban areas. In many cases, sharing is not an "end" but rather a "means" to provide resources for which there is a shortage. When demand is found, not only sharing but also the means of supply are naturally met. Rather than arguing about whether or not something should be shared, why not think about it as a question of the balance between supply and demand?
Hayashi
As an example of how to meet needs, in Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture, companies once provided everything from schools to hospitals and shops for tens of thousands of coal miners, and even those without money could pay on credit. In a sense, huge corporations created a world that was like a utopia. Now that individuals, rather than corporations, are at the forefront, I believe that by bringing together individuals with the same will, we can create sharing systems and new values.
Shigematsu
It's true that the development of network infrastructure has made it possible for individuals to share their willingness to do so. In urban development, it may be the role of developers to consider how to change these mechanisms.
I also feel that architects are being asked how they should confront these trends of the times. A major factor behind this is that, as society becomes more fluid and fragmented, it is becoming more difficult to present big ideologies and visions as in the past. I think that the role of architects today is to report on what is happening now in a journalistic manner as observers, while also working with people to find solutions.
Hayashi
With progress being so rapid, I think there are hints in thinking like software, which is constantly being updated to keep up with the times. There must be something that can be done with people from different positions working together and with a social experiment-like attitude. One possibility is for users to prototype how the contents of a building will be used after it has been constructed.
Shigematsu
When designing Facebook's headquarters, we were asked to create a "hackable space" in the sense that the layout could be changed rapidly based on feedback from employees. So you're pushing this to the level of urban development...
Hayashi
In a huge high-rise building, the requests of the people who work and live there could be accumulated as data, and elevator stops, taxi dispatches, and spatial configurations could all be constantly optimized. But looking back on what we've discussed today, I think there are still many problems that can be solved with human ingenuity before relying on artificial intelligence.
──Thank you very much for today.
NTT Urban Development will continue to put new urban development into practice through a variety of initiatives centered on design. Please look forward to our future activities.
──Thank you very much for today.
NTT Urban Development will continue to put new urban development into practice through a variety of initiatives centered on design. Please look forward to our future activities.
- CREDIT
- - Organized by: NTT Urban Development Co., Ltd. Design Management Office
- - Planning and direction: Takram
- - Talk host: Kotaro Watanabe (Takram), Keita Fukasawa (freelance editor)
- - Compiled by: Keita Fukasawa (freelance editor)
- CREDIT
- - Organized by: NTT Urban Development Co., Ltd. Design Management Office
- - Planning and direction: Takram
- - Talk host: Kotaro Watanabe (Takram), Keita Fukasawa (freelance editor)
- - Compiled by: Keita Fukasawa (freelance editor)
RELATED PROJECTS
LIFORK OTEMACHI
(Scheduled to open in April 2018 / Design: Transit General Office Co., Ltd. + Kokuyo Co., Ltd.)
NTT Urban Development has launched a new type of shared office business (service brand name: LIFORK) that supports each customer in realizing their own unique lifestyle and work style.
As a service base for this, we will open "LIFORK OTEMACHI" in April 2018 in our flagship building, Otemachi First Square, which will include a co-working space, a nursery school, a bike port, and more.
LIFORK OTEMACHI
(Scheduled to open in April 2018 / Design: Transit General Office Co., Ltd. + Kokuyo Co., Ltd.)
NTT Urban Development has launched a new type of shared office business (service brand name: LIFORK) that supports each customer in realizing their own unique lifestyle and work style.
As a service base for this, we will open "LIFORK OTEMACHI" in April 2018 in our flagship building, Otemachi First Square, which will include a co-working space, a nursery school, a bike port, and more.