The story does not end there. A month later, the Congregazione delle Suore Orsoline, which owns the building, received a box containing three samples, accurate reproductions of the tiles cladding the walls, accompanied by a letter in which Inax promised to supply approximately 1,000 square metres of ceramic tiles for the renovation of all the building’s facades. “It was not easy to include a donation in the accounts, but I decided to reduce our advertising budget and the cost of six advertising pages helped bring new life to a hugely significant building,” explains Ryuichi Kawamoto, president of Inax. No sooner said than done. The happy ending came in late September with a small inauguration ceremony celebrating San Francesco’s new “skin”.
Safeguarding architecture is a matter of culture; it is a social and institutional commitment. Money is often the obstacle. If more companies had the same presence of mind, we could cure another “patient” awaiting restoration. This story shows that you can “love architecture”. Kaoru Tashiro
