Tomorrow I am going to Hamamatsu city in Shizouka Prefecture to meet up with the architects from the office called 403architecture [dajiba], one of the up-and-coming young offices that represents the next generation in Japan. They focus on reuse of materials, especially wood, to create new forms of spaces in urban settings. Check it out: http://www.403architecture.com/

I found piles of wood in good condition from a demolished building in Ikebukuro, and I also saw it in several other places. Tokyo is one of the cities in the world with the highest demolition/building rate per square meter, and I wonder where all the scrap material goes? I think we have a huge material reuse potential here, but the Tokyoites tend to prefer clean and new materials in their surroundings.