Shibuya Marui ends its 50-year history. The left is Marui when it opened in 1971, and the right is Marui on August 25, 2022.
Shibuya Marui will be temporarily closed this Sunday, August 28th.
Shibuya’s Marui is located at the intersection of Koen-dori and Jingu-dori, about 130 meters from the scramble crossing. The current building opened in 1971, marking the end of its 50-year history.
After that, by 2026, it will be reborn as “Japan’s first full-scale wooden commercial facility” with 60% being made of wood. We asked Marui President Masahiro Aono, who is in charge of the retail business of the Marui Group, about the background to this decision.
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The architectural firm that also worked on the Steve Jobs Theater
Foster is also responsible for the design of the Steve Jobs Theater, which is familiar from Apple’s press conferences.
Design firm Foster+Partners (hereinafter referred to as Foster) is in charge of the design of the reconstruction.
Led by Norman Foster, one of Britain’s leading architects, he also worked on Wembley Stadium in England, Apple Park, a facility centered on Apple’s new headquarters, and Steve Jobs Theater. Are known.
Masahiro Aono, President of Marui. He says he has toured wooden buildings around the world since the idea of building a wooden Shibuya Marui was brought up.
It was around 2013 that I began to consider rebuilding Shibuya Marui. “A facility that will become a symbol of Marui, which is changing its business format from retailWhile thinking about this, Foster was the one who chose the white arrow.
In 2018, Aono looked back on the bitter memories of meeting the director in charge of Foster through the introduction of an acquaintance.
He enthusiastically delivered a passionate speech about Marui Group’s goal of “sustainability management.” The executive in charge listened intently to the presentation for several minutes, and said,
“Mr. Aono, I see what you mean.But we’ve been doing the things you just talked about for 50 years now.”
“At the time, I didn’t know that (Foster) was so focused on sustainable architecture… I was preaching to Buddha about global warming and sustainability to the most knowledgeable people. It was really embarrassing.” (Mr. Aono) )
However, this encounter takes an unexpected turn. Foster’s side suggested that a wooden building should be used.
“I’ve never seen (a wooden commercial building) before, and I can’t even think of it.
Footsteps of the “wooden building” boom in Japan
The new wooden building will have 2 floors below ground and 9 floors above ground, with a sales area of 2,800 square meters.
In fact, the environmental problems caused by the construction industry are serious.
According to a McKinsey reportOf the greenhouse gases emitted in Japan in 2017, emissions from the building sector accounted for 10% (next to the electricity, industry, and transportation sectors).
In 2019, Foster committed to a commitment called the Net Zero Carbon Building Commitment.announcing the signature. This means that by 2030, all of the buildings Foster builds will be carbon neutral.
Due to the heightened awareness of issues in the construction industry, wooden skyscrapers are rapidly spreading in Europe and the United States.
According to the International Mastimber Report 2022, the number of Mastimber* buildings built worldwide is expected to continue to double every two years from 2020 to 2034. there is
*Mastimber: Laminated lumber made by combining multiple pieces of wood to increase strength to a level comparable to that of concrete or steel frames (according to REDSHIFT). CLT, which will be described later, is also one of the mass timbers.
By making buildings wooden, the amount of concrete and iron used in construction is reduced, so it is also expected to have the effect of reducing the carbon dioxide generated during the production of these materials. According to Aono, the carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 2,000 tons compared to building a similar building with steel frames.
Marui Group has also set a goal of converting 100% of the electricity it consumes in its business activities to renewable energy by FY2030. After hearing Foster’s proposal, Mr. Aono said, “I definitely want to try it.”
The big hurdle was ensuring fire resistance.
Is it possible to create a “wooden building” that ensures safety in Shibuya, where there are many people (photo is Marui in August 2022)?
It seems difficult to create a wooden structure that can withstand fire for a long time.
However, in Japan, it became possible to use “CLT (Cross Laminated Timber, a wooden material in which layers of sawn boards are stacked orthogonally and laminated)”, which became available in 2016 when the Building Standards Act was promulgated and enforced. ” became one of the solutions.
According to the Japan CLT AssociationIt is said that CLT can be expected to have effects such as heat insulation, heat insulation, and sound insulation, taking advantage of the characteristics of wood.
“Everything was fixed and GO was released in 2022. It took four years. Of course, we had to clear not only earthquake resistance and fire resistance, but also other legal issues.” (Mr. Aono)
Bringing the Warmth of Wood to Electrical Shibuya
1971 (left) Shibuya Marui in 1985. It was a symbolic existence that supported Marui during the heyday of retail.
The current Shibuya Marui opened in 1971.
Along with Shibuya PARCO (opened in 1973) located in the middle of the slope of Koen-dori and SHIBUYA 109 (Ichimarukyu, opened in 1979) on Bunkamura-dori, it has been the driving force behind Shibuya, the town of youth fashion.
“In the 1980s and 1990s, Marui grew mainly in retail, and the symbol of that time was the Shibuya store. I’m standing next to you…”
However, not just Marui, the department store business has been in a predicament even before the corona crisis. Currently, the majority of Marui Group’s operating profit comes from its fintech business, represented by Epos Card.
Shibuya Marui as of August. Stores such as “Drone School Shibuya” and pop-ups were also conspicuous.
In the future, we aim to increase profits over the long term by combining investments in startups and other businesses. Mr. Aono is enthusiastic about wanting the new wooden building to become a symbol of the new Marui brand image, including the investment business.
Around the time of Marui’s announcement, new wooden buildings are being built one after another in Japan.
In October 2021, Hulic completed a 12-story building combining wood and steel frames in Ginza, Tokyo. In May 2022, Obayashi completed a skyscraper with a height of 44 meters (11 stories), which will be the tallest all-wood fire-resistant building in Japan.
In September 2020, Mitsui Fudosan and Takenaka Corporation announced that they will start planning to build a 17-story rental office building in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, which will be the largest and tallest wooden high-rise building in Japan. Construction is slated to begin in 2023 and be completed in 2025.
“Shibuya is a city full of electrical billboards. Both the redeveloped Parco and Scramble Square have the feel of modern modern architecture. Isn’t it warm?”
Will Marui’s “Japan’s first wooden commercial building” initiative bring about a new “wooden building” boom in the city of Shibuya?
(Written by Rio Nishiyama)
Source: BusinessInsider
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