I heard that "Tokyo Watching" is a very popular program every year with many people applying to be participate. The student-volunteers spent a year preparing this program, and on the day of the program, they were efficiently doing their jobs such as calling the roll, handing out materials, guiding a lot of people, and so on. I think that, for those students who are majoring in architecture, it is beneficial to study about the course in order to explain about it, and it is also a great opportunity to experience the management of an organization. Moreover, they can also achieve their primary purpose, which is to spread the architecture culture to the world, and that allows participants to pleasantly see the architectures and the town as well.

It is only recently that it has become "trendy" to talk about architecture, but still, architecture is considered not as something we appreciate viewing in general. But, if a culture is said to be created in a town, architecture that forms a space for the people to live and work should be able to attract more interest. Thus, such program like this to increase "appreciators" is important. I believe that bringing up real appreciators allows an architect as an expressionist to be able to work in a better condition, causes an ideal city planning to be carried out, and eventually leads us to build a town where we can comfortable live. By increasing appreciators, we may be able to follow such cycle.

The building of Tokyo University Process Technology R&D laboratories was built by the army in 1928 to be the barracks for the 3rd regiment of the 1st infantry division and was the first to use reinforced-concrete. It is a three-storied building with one basement level, and, although the interior had changed, it has been used until quite recently just like in bygone days. This place is famous as an assembly place of young officers for the revolt on 2/26, but how many of the young people hanging around in Roppongi are aware of such thing? (By the way, I think that you'll be able to learn the history even more vividly if you walk from here to Korekiyo Takahashi Memorial Park, and go to the NHK Broadcasting Museum in Mt. Otagi to listen to a radio program of those days called "To Soldiers," which was used to appeal to the revolting officers to return to their units.)

Until it was taken over by GHQ soon after the end of the Second World War and returned, the building had been used as "Hardy Barrack." After the return, the laboratory was moved to here in 1962. Then, as it was settled to be demolished, it was moved again to Komaba, and there is currently a plan to build a national gallery at the site in the future. I heard that they've decided on reconstruction due to the issues of decrepitude and earthquake-resistant ability of the building, but it looked fine enough to be used as it is to untrained eye, and the lecturer of the program was also regretfully saying "They should reinforce the structure, and use it as it is...." As a matter of fact, there are loud calls for a preservation of this building which is significant both in the political history and architecture history, and there is also a suggestion to keep a part of the building.

Walking inside of the building, I see all the equipments being removed, and that somehow indicates the atmosphere of ruins. It seems to be a science laboratory, and a gas pipe and other tools, which might have been used in experimentations, are placed carelessly. The floor had been torn up, and a stout pillar is the only thing appealing its existence. It is a high-ceilinged room, and by opening the window, fresh air comes in. There is nothing sadder than an abandoned building like this because, contrary to a savage land, there are indications showing that there used to be people here. Only a piano left in a corner of a room, which was once used as an assembly room, was desperately conspicuous.

According to a plan, there are thirteen stair rooms. Most of the stair rooms are built in wellhole style, and the sunshine from a skylight is reflected softly on the wall. There are some stairs built with wood bricks, and I guess that something like these may put some people in a nostalgic feelings. As I go up to the housetop from there, there is a roundish-shaped doorway. From such kind of design in particular parts, I can feel a modern fun-spirit of the early years of Showa.

Going around the inside of the distorted-octagon-shaped building with a courtyard, I lose my sense of direction. It is just like a labyrinth, and there is also a triangular room, which is hard to imagine what it had been used for. The worst part is where it had been beveled. It makes me feel nervous as entering from a straight and open passageway into a curve where I can't see ahead. I heard that there is only a little data available since it is a building of the army, and there are still a number of obscure points why they've built it in a style like this, but the only certain fact is that it has been fortified.

The sunlight of June reflected on the concrete of the housetop, where the soldiers once used as a playing field, is dazzling. Leaning on a handrail while feeling the sun and wind of the early summer on my back, I stare at the thick fully-grown trees in the courtyard and think about a number of incidents the building has seen. I think that this is the last opportunity for me to be able to walk like this in this building where the history is deeply ingrained. I am truly glad that I could explore it before its demolition, the last moment of the building.