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
Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
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