No.26 Participation in the Tomon Festival Event

(Inagi Newsletter December 15, 2013 issue)

Recently, I received an invitation to participate in the Waseda University Tomon Festival and attended. This event is aimed at Waseda graduates but is open to the public, featuring various events every year.
This year, starting in the spring, Mr. T, a graduate of the architecture department from the class of 1985, took the lead in preparing a symposium themed "Seismic Resistance of Non-Structural Components" amidst unexpected damages and accidents due to major earthquakes and aging infrastructure. When I was first approached, I hesitated, thinking that such a specialized topic was beyond my expertise, but I was persuaded by the university headquarters that merely having difficult discussions by experts would not attract visitors, and that the project itself might be canceled. I reluctantly agreed to participate, as they only needed comments from a layperson's perspective. During the planning stage, it was decided that the symposium would be too grand, and it would be more of a roundtable discussion, which was named 'Towards Safety Even in the Unexpected: A Large Roundtable on Everyone's Safe Space'.
On the day of the event, Mr. K, a graduate of the architecture department and a professor at the University of Tokyo, gave a keynote speech on the dangers of suspended ceilings, followed by other members presenting their opinions, and then a roundtable discussion involving the attendees. Mr. K, who completed his master's program in the Graduate School of Science and Technology and works at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, raised the point that there are limits to ensuring safety if only regulatory perspectives are considered. Mr. K, a professor at Ibaraki University who graduated from the civil engineering department, discussed the impacts of unexpected discrepancies among stakeholders in large-scale projects, while Mr. A, a professor at Waseda University who graduated from the architecture department, spoke about safe spaces from the perspective of urban planning and community development.
I presented on the current status and challenges of seismic resistance in public facilities. In Inagi City, efforts have been made early on regarding the seismic resistance of "structural" components, and by the fiscal year before the major earthquake, reinforcement work was generally completed. The future challenge is the seismic resistance of "non-structural components". Measures to prevent the falling of some ceilings and lighting fixtures located at high places are necessary, and a comprehensive inspection will be conducted by this fiscal year, with plans to implement fall prevention measures over the next three years until fiscal year 2015.
This time, I unexpectedly reconnected with classmates and was able to meet new people. It has been almost 30 years since we graduated from university, and everyone has become an expert in their respective fields. I hope to utilize these connections in future community development efforts.