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| May.11.2000 Dome 50% Wind Tunnel Facility, Designs Finalised | |||
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This is to inform you that the designs for the Dome 50% Wind Tunnel Facility have been finalised. The illustration in the press release at the beginning of this year was only a temporary one. After this release we continued design on the outer and inner layouts and we have just finished the last drawing. During the design process we had been getting the necessary permits, and quotations from various building contractors. All the necessary paperwork was finished just after the holidays at the beginning of May and it has been decided that we shall start building on the 20th of May. This concurs with the schedule we had decided on last year so everything is going along as planned. On top of this, due to fact that the amount of construction work needed for the furrow around the perimeter has decreased, and the specifications for the wind tunnel itself were defined at a very early stage, it seems that most of the parts will be finished ahead of schedule. So we have been able to keep our peace of mind that everything will be finished in time. Due to the fact that the other directors did not try to hide the fact that they were worried that I would say that I wanted to do the design, as in the old factory in Takaragaike, Kyoto and the current factory in Ohara, we decided to ask an architect to do it. But as this was the first time for us, we were at a loss as to who we should ask. After looking at various books on architecture one architect that used aerofoil shaped lines in his design stood out and I decided to meet him. The managing director Mr. Tsutomu Hayama of the Hayama Architectural Design Office knew of Dome and we were fortunate to be informed that he "would like to do this whatever the conditions may be". So we decided to ask him to do the design. However I would like to point out that we were drawn by his designs and not the "whatever the conditions may be" part. But as it is with racing cars good quality comes at a price and I feel that the during the whole time we were always thinking of how to get the cost within our budget without lowering the quality. The elegant side to design such as styling had gone out the window and I feel sorry that we have not been able to take Mr. Hayama's designing abilities to their full extent. From the illustration you can see the very open layout with just a furrow around the perimeter (= reduced cost for fence) and the abundance of greenery in the garden area (= reduced paving costs). As you can see reducing cost was foremost in the outer layout, but on the other hand we may have been a little too over-zealous in the areas you cannot see. Such as the foundations for the wind tunnel itself and the various measures we have taken to counter noise. There is plenty of space inside due to the wind tunnel itself being extremely large. So with the data acquisition room in the middle we have a designing room, factory space, a meeting room and storage space for the various models. The factory space and model storage space is divided so that different clients can work in secrecy. I hope to be back with another report after building has commenced on the 20th of May with photographs to show you how everything is taking shape. Dome Co.,Ltd. Minoru Hayashi |
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