Lego imperial hotel - 21017 User Guide

Wright worked on the Imperial Hotel with 18 to 20 

Japanese draftsmen, the only other foreigner apart 

from himself being Paul Mueller, an experienced 
builder from Chicago. 

One of the major concerns during the initial design 
and construction process was how to safeguard the 
building from the many earthquakes that occurred in 
the area. Wright had noted that Japanese architects, 
trained by centuries of natural disasters, always “built 

lightly on the ground.”

With between 18m and 21m (60-70 ft.) of alluvial mud 
beneath the 2.4m (8 ft.) of surface soil, it would be 
impossible to obtain the rigidity needed for traditional 
foundations. Instead his idea was to float the building 
upon the mud using shallow, broad footings. This 

would  allow it—in Wright’s terms—“to balance like a 
tray on a waiter’s fingertips.”

Other design features to combat the threat caused 
by earthquakes included cantilevered floors and 
balconies to provide extra support, seismic separation 

joints every 20m (65.6 ft.) along the building, tapered 
walls that were thicker on the lower floors, plus the 
consistent use of smooth curves which were more 
resistant to fracture. 

The main building materials used were reinforced 

poured concrete and brick, while the choice of soft 
volcanic Oya stone enabled the extensive carving of 
elaborate ornamental carving and decoration. Wright 
was particularly impressed by the craftsmanship of 
the Japanese stonemasons. So much so he modified 
many of his original decorative concepts to make the 
most of their talents.

The design & construction process

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10/09/2012   12:24 PM