28 C O N T E X T 9 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 6 Nara is being carried out to the very highest standards of conservation. A temporary structure has been erected to protect the complete dismantling of the temple during a ten-year project. It is a brand new steel-framed structure on concrete ring foundation complete with ramps, lighting, overhead gantries cranes and workshops. Around 15 specialist carpenters are on site at any one time. It is a conservation project of exceptional thoroughness: every timber is checked, numbered, stored, photographed, measured and reinstated. A further three sheds store statues of Buddha, tiles and other timbers and workshops for new timber (Japanese cypress pine). The site is still owned by the temple authorities but work is paid for with help of a 60 per cent grant from central government. The Library of Children’s Literature in Tokyo has been fully refurbished to a generally high standard, but all the timber windows were replaced with aluminium ones. It has good glazed extensions with a strong contemporary design.The library has a reversible (but unnecessary) glazed safety screen along the staircase and has been wholly supported on rubber shock absorbers with metal tension restraints, at what must have been incredible expense. The Red Brick Warehouses in Yokohama have also been fully refurbished to a generally high standard and converted to cultural, retail and leisure uses. Many internal features, such as sliding doors, stairs and delicate iron tie rods have been retained in situ and many others have been displayed below glass floors. However, it has had a glazed extension with a simple functional design, which dilutes the vertical rhythm of the elevation, and replacement canopies of inferior quality and detailing have been introduced. Again, original windows have been replaced with aluminium copies with inferior detailing. At Doshisha University considerable expense and effort has been put into restoring and strengthening a brick-and-stone building of 1890 which had limited architectural merit but was highly valued as an example of a western-influenced building. Some salvaged Blaenavon rail tracks of the 1870s had been used in the construction and placed in the university John Hinchliffe is world heritage officer with Liverpool City Council. museum after they had been removed during the restoration. In Kyoto city centre an area of 17th century timber houses has been identified through a detailed academic study. Restoration has been encouraged with advice and small grants. A restriction on height of new buildings in this area has also been imposed. In outer Kyoto, a further area of 17th century timber houses around Nanzenji Temple has been identified. Shopfront restoration, the creation of traditional gardens, the sale of traditional craft goods and the removal of signs have all been encouraged with advice and small grants. A start has also been made on putting overhead electricity cables underground. The objective is to transform an area of low-grade shopfronts selling cheap souvenirs into a high-quality historic environment within 20 years. In Kyriou, an analysis of the historic town centre has identified an area of long, narrow plots, which are the equivalent of burgage plots, occupied by houses, workshops and warehouses. Small grants have been made available to secure shopfront restoration, the sale of traditional craft goods and the removal of signs, but there is no intention to put overhead cables underground or improve the public realm. Tokyo, Kobe and Kyoto have tall building policies. In Tokyo and Kobe the policy seems to advocate retaining the frontages of historic buildings, but approving the erection of tall buildings behind the frontage.Tokyo, Kobe andYokohama all have stunning examples of tall buildings, but they also have many mundane tall buildings. The cultural exchange programme had several benefits. It enabled the UK delegates to promote a positive image of our industrial heritage and its conservation to a wide audience in Japan, and to emphasise the importance of industrial heritage. It helped to form a network of contacts between Japan and the UK for exchanging information and experience. And it provided the opportunity for conditional independent verification of the international significance of the Tomioka Silk Mills, and its aspirations for world heritage status. Further reading Industrial Archaeology, Neil Cossons (1975) Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Nomination Document, Derwent Valley Mills (2000) History of the Protection and Concept on Cultural Properties in Japan, Hidetoshi Saito Red brick warehouses in Yokohama, restored and converted to cultural, retail and leisure uses. Right: Tomioka silk mill, aspiring to be a world heritage site
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