Day 23 features Shinobu Matsushima, Director of the Design Department at Yasui Architects & Engineers Inc., who was in charge of the design for this project.
Restoring a National Important Cultural Property presents much higher hurdles compared to standard building renovations. For example, in Block A, to adapt it for museum use, we performed renovations such as removing walls between adjacent rooms to create a continuous exhibition space. In such cases, permission to remove a wall is only granted if there is a clear and justified reason. For instance, the width of the opening must be kept to the minimum necessary for accessibility, and the position must be chosen to minimize the impact on the heritage value by comparing options like removing internal walls or widening existing external entrances. After repeated explanations regarding various locations to the Conservation and Revitalization Committee—composed of experts—and obtaining consent from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, construction finally begins.
When you place yourself in the space where inmates once lived, you are naturally seized by the thought, “What is freedom?” I haven’t found a definitive answer myself, but I believe freedom might be the existence of possibilities for that individual. Conversely, because there is freedom, possibilities are born there, allowing one to move forward.
Shinobu Matsushima is a member of the Design Department at Yasui Architects & Engineers, Inc. He studied urban planning at the Department of Urban Engineering, Faculty of Engineering. At Yasui Architects & Engineers, Inc., he has managed numerous large-scale projects, including Kamiyacho Trust Tower. In this conservation and revitalization project, he was involved in the architectural design for the renovation of the entire Nara Prison complex as a cultural property, as well as the demolition work for seismic reinforcement.
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