Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan - Research Paper Example Imperial Hotel was constructed in 1880 at the demand of Japanese aristocrat to gratify the growing numbers of western guest to Japan. The guesthouse site is situated just south of the imperial palaces ground, this modern hotel covering 40-acres resample the palaces. The plan for the hotel was influenced by the soil condition hence making Yuzuru Watanabe reject Manz original layout of four story stone structures, and he proposed brick structure and a three story wood frame. Conversely, Watanabe proposed that the exterior should be painted to appear like stone. After the Imperial Hotel structure had been destroyed by fire and earthquakes, there was a need for rebuilding the Imperial hotel in 1970 and this influenced the structure and the material used. The later Imperial Hotel was design to incorporate towering, pyramid-like structure whose building materials are concrete, Oya stone and concrete blocks. The building was also designed with several structures to lessen potential earthqua ke destruction such as tapered wall, denser on the ground floor thus increasing the building strength. The building of Imperial Hotel goes beyond initial accommodation purpose to suggest other uses such as showing a prodigious revolution in architecture brought to japan as Meiji restoration. Through Meiji, the concept of architecture changes drastically from local-one to internal. The principle that had the strongest influence on the construction of the imperial hotel is functionalism principle that relies on people sense of safety.