The Plan for a New Daibiru-Honkan Building

The Daibiru-Honkan Building is considered to be a trailblazer in the history of full-scale rental office buildings in Japan. It was designed and supervised by Setsu Watanabe. Togo Murano was the head draftsman, and Tachu Naito was the structural designer. These were all architects who left their mark on the history of modern Japanese architecture. It had excellent earthquake resistance, and Watanabe later said that it had been the first building in Osaka to be designed with an earthquake-resistant structure. Its Neo-Romanesque exterior with an Eastern flavor is really what caught people’s attention. The interior and exterior decor was simple, but numerous carvings and sculptures were utilized in key locations. The half-circle arch in the central foyer was decorated with the statue Eagle and Girl, and numerous Greek-style carvings were used to decorate other areas.

How would Daibiru go about rebuilding such a famous edifice? After a series of discussions, the Daibiru personnel responsible for the project arrived at a single concept: “The Daibiru-Honkan Building is a Nakanoshima landmark and a testament to Daibiru’s desire to continue creating buildings that are trailblazers for their times. We must restore and preserve the history that our building’s appearance tells, while incorporating the latest functionality and safety features to ensure that its use can continue for many years to come.”

In October 2008, the challenge of pursuing two seemingly contradictory goals—preserving tradition and pursuing modernity—began.