March 2009

The project passed a key milestone in March with the placement of the first permanent steelwork on the site, which will eventually become the beams and columns around the Bowling Center and Childcare Center. March also marked the first anniversary since Takenaka took over the site, and in that 12-month period we have seen the demolition of the old buildings and a great amount of excavation to create the space that will become the basements of the new Club and adjacent condominiums.
The excavation hit a number of unexpected obstacles (none of which were of any historical interest) and slowed progress for a while. The work is now moving back to its original schedule and the staging platform was installed on time, allowing construction to continue simultaneously at multiple levels on the site. Toward the end of March, we had the first of a series of interim inspections by Tokyo authorities, which was conducted without any problems.
Together with the team of local consultants, Pelli Clarke Pelli has continued to work on the finer details of the design. Updated perspectives incorporating these developments will be posted in the lobby area in June. Attention has been turned to furnishings to outfit all areas of the new facilities, and we are also close to confirming the design of some key pieces of equipment, including the Bowling Center and golf simulators.
We are now approximately 21 months away from completing the project that started as an idea in 1997. The strategies to make the return to Azabudai as smooth as possible are presently being developed amongst the management team and are in early discussion stages within various Club committees.

Updated photographs of the construction progress can be found on the Club website. Please direct any questions or comments about the Redevelopment Project to redevelopmentfeedback@tac-club.org .