1915: Imperial Hotel – Tokyo, Japan

                

Image Source 1       Image Source 2

Innovation: Earthquake
Year: 1915
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright in Tokyo, Japan built the Imperial Hotel. Because Tokyo is known for the earthquakes, he had to build the Imperial Hotel to withstand the earthquake’s vibrations, fire, and other natural weather conditions. Construction began in 1915 and ended in 1923. Only months after opening, the 1923 Great Tokyo Earthquake occurred, a 7.9 M_w earthquake and the building still stood unharmed, unlike most of Tokyo’s other buildings [1]. Imperial Hotel is built from concrete, concrete block and oya stone [1]. Wright’s concrete building replaced the original Imperial Hotel, built by Yuzuru Watanabe. His original design was built from wood and consequently was burned down in 1919 [1]. Wright’s new designed was built to withstand the elements presented in Japan, unlike the original Hotel. Though the new Imperial Hotel was well designed for the elements, it was destroyed in 1968 to be replaced with a new hotel structure because of decay from the interior, although the front façades were preserved as a museum [1, 2].

Works Cited: 1, 2

Advertisement