There is an authoritative award in architecture called the BELCA Award; Palaceside Building won the first edition in 1992. The public-interest Long-Life Building Promotion Council (BELCA), which runs the award, marked its 25th anniversary with a feature in the latest issue of its quarterly journal BELCA NEWS (April 2016), “What Became of Award Buildings,” and Palaceside Building is included.
The award is “a commendation system that selects especially outstanding existing buildings that have had proper long-term maintenance or excellent renovation, and honors those involved, with the aim of contributing to longer building life in Japan” (BELCA site).
As “longer life” suggests, solid management is the premise, but design
and structural value are also important. In short, a building one can call “good” in look, function and management. Palaceside Building won at 25 years of age; the 25 years since have also been highly rated for upkeep.
In BELCA NEWS, Kiyonori Miishodokoro, professor emeritus at Shibaura Institute of Technology and acting chair of the selection committee from the award’s founding, recalls the first edition and praises Palaceside Building as “a good case in which the maintenance side joined design meetings.”
The building side was also asked to contribute, and under the title “Fifty Years of Palaceside Building” wrote six pages on planned maintenance, earthquake measures and the changing of newspaper printing.
Winners receive a commemorative plaque and display it proudly where people see it. Palaceside Building hangs it with other awards on the wall to the right as you enter the east main entrance toward the
stairs (photo at upper left). The plaque is by the late Yoshiyuki Chosa, a Cultural Medal recipient; it designs a court-costume crown and is quite weighty and fine (same, below).
A little self-flattery, but Palaceside Building has received other architectural awards as well, and the reputation as a “celebrated Showa building” is something to be grateful for. We will keep maintenance of the building and equipment thorough so as not to shame that name.