I spend time as a chat host at a cafe.
It is great because I get to ask questions of a variety of different people. People in professions I would not normally come across.
I was talking with an engineer and the topic came around to buildings…old buildings… And how quickly they were torn down and rebuilt in Tokyo.
He mentioned that the average life span of a building in Tokyo is 50 years.
I tried to think of the number of places I have lived in that were 50 years old, or older (8- 10?)
We started discussing why?
The answer is, the humidity, combined with the earthquakes wears them out.
It makes sense… To make a building that will survive the humidity, you have to “seal” it… But the constant shakes (99% minor) will break most seals.
With this understanding, I look at building differently now… Knowing they are built for a limited life, unlike houses in Canada which can last so much longer.
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
{jcomments on}
