October 2008

The demolition of the old Club buildings at Azabudai continued through the summer. This was followed by the start of excavation as crews began to work their way down the basement levels at the back of the former facility. A handful of subterranean discoveries, including unexpected double-layered pavement under the Parking Lot, brick foundations of old buildings and rubble buried underneath concrete slabs, set back progress by a couple of weeks, which we hope we will make up over the next few months.

Key milestones for the Redevelopment Project were reached in September. First, the groundbreaking ceremony took place on September 12. The Shinto ceremony was attended by members of the former Long Range Planning Committee, Club governors, management and representatives from the Club’s redevelopment partners. In addition, the building permit was approved by the building authorities, which, in turn, enabled the construction agreement with the TMT development consortium to be signed.

A large team of consultants is now based full-time at the Azabudai site to realize the Pelli Clarke Pelli master design. While the main designs are set, there are still many smaller interior elements to be finalized over the coming year.

The construction schedule now moves into a long phase where little aboveground progress will be noticeable for a while. Early next year, a platform will be constructed at ground level to provide valuable staging space for construction. Excavation works will continue into the middle of 2009 to make way for the foundations below the basement levels to be laid from next July.

The management team is starting to develop the strategies necessary for returning to Azabudai after the handover of the facilities. Since the new Club will be twice the size of the current premises, plus the inclusion of a large mechanical parking system, the number of staff in almost all departments will need to be increased.

Following the completion of construction at the end of 2010, the opening of the new Azabudai Club will be phased over a period of months into the following year. Drawing on lessons learned from the move to Takanawa, this process will allow staff to receive adequate training and familiarize themselves fully with the extensive range of new facilities.

Photographs of the demolition progress can be found by clicking here. Please e-mail any questions or comments about the Redevelopment Project to redevelopmentfeedback@tac-club.org.