Triggered by a visit to a recent meet up here in New York, I have been thinking about the impact investing industry. In one way or another, much of my finance career had something to do with it. The question now – is it the future and worth much more of my personal focus? I can’t help but being skeptical of the industry. Some pointers on why below the jump.
For lack of a better photo (?) – Kashgar cattle market, western China, 2004
The built context of most Tokyo buildings shown on this blog has been radically transformed since their completion several decades ago. It is now almost strange to see these architectural icons stand in their “native” setting or while they were under construction. Thanks to Flickr and Tokyo Tower, we can even have a look further back. 1 December 2013: Update now at bottom of post, 23 February 2014: Another shot at bottom of the post.
Both NOA Building and Reiyukai Shakaden under construction May 1974, photo posted with permission from Flickr user CosmicShip
I posted my first entry on this blog on 14 October 2012 – exactly one year ago. It happened to be also a month after I got married and took my wife’s surname. In this sense, the blog helped me to on my journey to establish my new “persona”. Some more personal reflections below the jump.
It’s good to call a place home after quite a few months on the road. I’m very happy we ended up in Harlem to do that. The neighbourhood is oozing history at every street corner. It’s also not as “gentrified” as other areas in New York, but fast becoming so thanks to people like me. Let me elaborate.
Riverside Drive / 145th Street
The International House Japan carries a special place in Japan’s post-war architectural history. Here, Tange would host several weddings for members of his Tange Lab, including Kurokawa’s. In 1960, the Metabolists would also use the building to write their founding document.
Alexander Hamilton is one of the most famous Americans ever to have lived in Harlem. His biography is inextricably linked with the early history of the USA, he was one of the chief architects of the young state’s institutions. I took a look at his former residence one rainy afternoon a couple of days ago.
I picked up the great “Architects of Affluence: The Tsutumi Family and the Seibu Enterprises in 20th-Century Japan” the other day. It’s a fascinating monograph written about 20 years ago by Thomas Havens. It helped me connect the dots between railroad, (sub-)urbanisation and the onset of mass consumerism in post-war Japan. Can an architectural dimension be woven into this? Let’s visit Shibuya!
The proximity to Columbia University and my flexibility as a freelancer allow for plenty of visits to public lectures. So today I went to this mini-conference on state intervention and private enterprise in the US, Japan and China. What promised to be an intriguing event left a lot to be desired. The following lines are some casual and possibly incongruous observations.
For the lack of a better photo: Chandler and Northwest Corner Building at Columbia University
As the book project on Tokyo’s architecture takes up a lot of my time, I thought I’d post an update on where we stand. There are also a few new chapter ideas I wanted to brainstorm – and what place better for that than my blog.
Sakuradai Village, photo by Manuel Oka
New York’s 20th-century beaux arts and art deco architecture doesn’t generally get my heart rate up. There are exceptions to this, including some of the famous early skyscrapers. Another building I like is the Criminal Courts Building in the Civic Center of Manhattan. I find its architecture incredibly symbolic.
