Tomioka Warehouse No.1 and No.2 Warehouse
Centered around the World Heritage–listed Tomioka Silk Mill (1872), three distinctive warehouse buildings standing in front of Jōshū-Tomioka Station — an area that once prospered through the silk industry — were seismically retrofitted using advanced reinforcement technologies such as carbon fiber, and regenerated as a core space for regional exchange.
Warehouse No.1 (completed in 1901), a brick structure laid in the English bond, was reinforced through a combination of exposed steel columns and carbon fiber–reinforced plastic (CFRP). Making full use of the texture of the brickwork, it was reborn as an exhibition space that conveys the history of Tomioka’s silk industry.
Warehouse No.2 (completed in 1923), a masonry structure built of Ōya stone, was given a three-dimensional seismic reinforcement system using CFRP and joints fabricated with 3D printing, extending across multiple floors like a form of spatial ayatori (cat’s cradle). This intervention introduces a sense of dynamic flow and lightness — qualities well suited to its new use as a café — into what might otherwise be a static masonry space.
The roof was re-covered with twice-fired tiles produced in a daruma kiln, a method of which only a few examples remain nationwide, originating in Kanra Town. The openings were also enlarged, transforming the former warehouse into an open space that seamlessly integrates with the adjacent plaza.
■ No.1 Warehouse
Completion: Febrary, 2022
Use: exhibition space
Size:２floors
Site area: 2627.51 ㎡
Building area: 249.39 ㎡
Total floor area: 460.68 ㎡
■ No.2 Warehouse
Completion: March, 2022
Use: cafe/retail
Size:２floors
Site area: 508.93 ㎡
Building area: 236.79 ㎡
Total floor area: 434.35 ㎡
※Related projects:
Tomioka Warehouse No.3 Warehouse
Tomioka Warehouse Toilet
