今回の２連続講演日程の十和田市を昨日、無事に完了させていただきました。
昨日の「会場」はいま話題の隈研吾氏設計の十和田市の「市民交流プラザ・トワーレ」。もう建築から結構な年月が経っている建物。外観的には見る範囲では、今回の話題のような兆候はみられていないと思われました。あ、もちろん一時通行人に過ぎないので、細部の確認などは当然出来ていませんが多くの木造建築関係者のみなさんからも、特段の話題提供などはありませんでした。
講演会には両日とも、たくさんの旧知のみなさんが参加いただき、旧交を温めさせていただきました。懇親会では、最近の業容などについてさまざまな現場感覚を取材させていただけた。さすがに地域密着の作り手のみなさん、それぞれの状況の中でさまざまに活路を見出し、それを開発したり、またもともとの「強みを発展」させたりという状況が伝わってきます。素晴らしい。いつも思うのですが、各地域の家づくりに携わっている工務店企業は日本の中小企業の「ものづくり」パワーの基盤と言えるでしょう。そういったみなさんが元気である、そして活発に情報交流を行っていることが社会の重要な要素。
またわたし自身が不勉強だったのですが、これまでさまざまに工務店業界と協働してきている東北電力さんも今回のイベント開催で、コロナ禍以降の空白を解消するような機会になっていたとのこと。住宅建築を巡るさまざまなコストアップ要因のなかで、この厳しい状況をどのように転換させ、家づくりの未来状況を作り出せていけるのか、創意工夫に満ちた再起動の動きが端緒についたようです。わたしどもとしても、関連会社であるReplan発行元（株）札促社とともに、いろいろお役に立てられるような「創意工夫」を提案していく必要性が高まっていると痛感させられた次第。
そういうなかでほんのわずかなこころみではありますが、今回のわたし自身の出版計画も活性化のひとつのきっかけとして刺激を与えられれば幸いだと意を強くした次第。そしてまずは、このようにさまざまな情報交換機会、刺激を相互に交流させていくこと自体が、有益なのでしょう。
English version⬇
[Lecture also held in Towada City, Aomori Prefecture; mission completed].
It is important that the root of the ‘monozukuri’ power of Japanese society - local engineering firms - face up to difficulties with their vitality and ingenuity. Reaffirming their vitality. ...
I successfully completed this two-session lecture schedule in Towada City yesterday.
Yesterday's venue was the Civic Exchange Plaza Twarre in Towada, designed by Kengo Kuma, who is currently the talk of the town. The building has been under construction for quite a few years. Externally, as far as I could see, it did not seem to show any signs of the current topic. Of course, as I was only a temporary passer-by, I was not able to check the details of the building, but many people involved in the wooden building industry did not offer any particular topics of discussion.
Many old acquaintances attended the lectures on both days, and we were able to warm up old friendships. At the reception, we were able to cover various on-the-ground sensitivities about recent business developments. As might be expected of community-based producers, we were able to get a sense of how they are finding various ways of making a living in their respective circumstances, developing them and also ‘developing’ their original ‘strengths’. It's wonderful. I always think that the construction companies involved in house building in each region can be said to be the foundation of the ‘manufacturing’ power of small and medium-sized enterprises in Japan. It is an important element of society that these people are energetic and actively exchange information.
Also, although I myself was uninformed, I heard that Tohoku Electric Power Company, which has been working with the construction industry in a variety of ways, also used the event as an opportunity to fill the void left after the Corona disaster. Amidst the various factors that are driving up costs in the housing construction industry, it seems that a movement to restart the industry, full of creativity and ingenuity, has begun to take shape, to see how we can turn this difficult situation around and create a future situation for house-building. We, together with our affiliated company Replan Publishers, have become acutely aware of the growing need to propose ‘originality and ingenuity’ that can be of use in a variety of ways.
In this context, I have strengthened my hope that my own publication project will provide a stimulus as a trigger for revitalisation, even though it is only a small part of my intention. First of all, it would be beneficial for us to exchange various opportunities for information exchange and stimulation in this way.
