Photographer: Tange Associates | ArchDaily

Citizen-Led Campaign Proposes New Use for Kenzo Tange's Kagawa Gymnasium, Facing Demolition

Antonia Piñeiro — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 05:30:00 +0000

In February 2023, the governor of Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, announced the planned demolition of the Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kenzo Tange. Discussion surrounding its fate dates back to its permanent closure in 2014, after a roof leak caused structural problems in the ceiling boards. Since then, several organizations have worked to save the building, including a petition by the World Monuments Fund and an effort by a promotional council to nominate it as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2021. Despite these initiatives, on August 7, 2025, the Kagawa Prefectural Government officially announced a public competitive bidding process to select a contractor for the demolition, something the Former Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium Regeneration Committee is determined to prevent.

Spotlight: Kenzō Tange

AD Editorial Team — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 12:30:00 +0000

As one of the eldest in a long line of architects that have made Japan one of the most revered countries in architecture, Pritzker-Prize Winning architect Kenzō Tange (4 September 1913 – 22 March 2005) helped define Japan’s post-WWII emergence into Modernism. Though he was trained as an architect, Tange was equally as influential as an urban planner giving him significant influence in Japan and around the world at both large and small scales.

Kenzo Tange Gymnasium and 7 Other Threatened Sites Receive $1M in Preservation Funding

Jack McManus — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 12:00:00 +0000

Eight sites from the World Monuments Fund’s 2018 World Monuments Watch list have been awarded $1 million in funding from American Express to support much-needed preservation and restoration initiatives. The sites were selected based on their vulnerability to specific threats like natural disasters, climate change or social forces like urbanization that have left them neglected.

The Uncertain Future of Seoul, Korea's "Dream Hub"

Irina Vinnitskaya — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0000

According to Business Insider and a number of other real estate development outlets, the "Dream Hub" project in Seoul Korea that drew designs from internationally renowned architects including Daniel Libeskind -designer of the master plan - MVRDV, Dominique Perrault, BIG, REX, KPF and Tange Associates is on the verge of collapse. The Yongsan Development Corporation reportedly defaulted on a major loan repayment, citing difficulties in raising funds due to the real estate slump since the 2008 global financial crisis. The collapse of the project is still speculative, as it is unclear how the next round of loans that are to mature in June will fare.