Local governor Toyohito Ikeda of Takamatsu, in Japan, announced that the famous Kagawa Gymnasium will be demolished. Built between 1961 and 1964 by the Pritzker Prize winner Kenzo Tange, the structure is a landmark of the modernist post-war era in Japan. This news has sparked the creation of a petition in an effort to save this 47-year-old monument.
This brutalist building uses modern materials to allude to the traditional Japanese wooden boat, while its dramatic curves are inspired by the form of an athlete’s body. A deep concrete ring sits at its core, with four massive supports on all sides. In the center, the sports hall lies above the entry level, where the handball Olympic games took place. This urban agglomeration is an example of the hybridization of Western modernism and Japanese traditional architecture. Tange has another architectural icon located in Tokyo, the Yoyogi National Gymnasium, built for the 1964 Summer Olympic Games, that had the largest suspended roof span in the world when it was completed.
In 2014, these demolition risks were first brought up after a leak in the roof caused structural issues in the ceiling boards, leading to the site's closing. In 2021, the building was part of a promotional council attempting to claim it as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Additionally, the World Monuments Fund collaborated with Japan’s National Archives of Modern Architecture and organized an exhibit in Tokyo during the time of the 2020 Olympic games. The exhibition, titled Tange Kenzo 1938-1970, From PreWar period to the Olympic Games and World Expo, featured the architect's work and the Gymnasium as a beloved landmark.
Most recently, the construction of a nearby gymnasium by SANAA was announced, which further threatened the building’s usefulness. The local government attempted to attract bidders to acquire it, or help retrofit it but has received none. Without a buyer, the gymnasium was set for demolition.
Despite the efforts of many different institutions and preservation groups, this sought-after monument’s fate has been decided. Architectural critics are criticizing the decision of the government, which overlooks the importance of the built environment to the day-to-day activities of city dwellers. The petition to campaign for its preservation can be signed here.
The news has stirred a larger conversation about the importance of Architectural Heritage and Preservation in Japan at large. In 2022, the iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower was announced to be demolished, another one of the structures which define Japanese post-war brutalism. The Complex, designed by Louis Khan in 1971 in India, has also recently been announced for demolition. All three projects share a back-and-forth between architectural preservation and an ultimate decision by their respective municipalities to tear them down.
