November 14, 2022
On Monday, November 7, a groundbreaking ceremony for the Mita 1-chome Project Construction was held at the planned construction site.
The Shinto ritual was attended by President Kohei Ito and other Keio University officials, as well as representatives from Taisei Corporation, the designer and constructor, and project partners Mitsui Fudosan Residential Co., Ltd., and Mitsubishi Jisho Residence Co., Ltd. The Kuwa-ire-no-gi (ritual first digging of the ground with a hoe) and Tamagushi-hoten (offering of sacred tree branches) were solemnly performed.
The Naorai (a celebratory feast) was not held to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Instead, following the ritual, attendees gave speeches and congratulatory remarks at the same venue.
The building will be a six-story reinforced concrete structure. Completion is scheduled for December 2024, and after preparations for its operation, it is scheduled to begin operations in April 2025.
After completion, the building is expected to be used for rental labs and shared spaces to alleviate the shortage of educational and research environments on the Mita Campus. The design will be centered around open spaces to flexibly accommodate future changes in use.
Photo by Susumu Ishido