AICHI METAL
Technology Case Study
This project is an extremely impressive case in which the elegance of the building stands out in a huge circular space. First of all, the building is made of concrete material for the walls, and the floor is made of marble with a distinctive marble pattern, showing the thorough attention to detail in the materials. The jet-black metal frame with its exquisite design and the staircase with its white stone treads are a masterpiece. Although AICHI METAL was responsible for the staircase itself, there are a number of features that make it unique. Among them, the gracefully curved shape of the frame is particularly noteworthy. The same is true of the difficulty. The inner and outer diameters, which curve widely, are naturally different in size, but the location where the treads are placed must be fixed in position. If there is even the slightest misalignment in the installation location, the person using the staircase will lose his or her sense of balance, making it unusable. The tension of accuracy inspection, which cannot fail, was at a level that was difficult to experience.
Consistency and Tension
We cannot cut corners on quality every time, not only in this project but also in other projects. We are a company that manufactures components, but we also process the very safety of society. That is why we are required to maintain consistency with precision. Furthermore, since there are multiple projects running in the factory, process management is directly related to the management of safety in society. At AICHI METAL, in particular, there are many manual processes, and the understanding of craftspeople is always required. Of course, we use a variety of machines in the process, but we cannot leave all the finishing touches to machines. This is one area where I am convinced that even with the evolution of AI in the future, human labor will continue to play a major role. AICHI METAL's quality lies in the consistency of all these aspects: the tension in the factory when assembling one component at a time, and the finishing, adjustment, inspection, and quality control of on-site construction.
Significance of existence that changes with construction
This staircase was also quite challenging to construct. The size and weight of the staircase, as well as its curved shape, made precision an extremely important part of the on-site installation. The sense of accomplishment upon completion of the installation is indescribable. We reaffirmed that architecture is a collection of all kinds of techniques and materials that maintain an exquisite balance. In our factory, every product is just a component of various materials. As they go through the process, they gain a sense of presence, and we pay close attention to what we touch. However, since a product is completed only when it is used in construction, even if we have completed all the processes in our factory, it will never be complete. In fact, that is where our responsibility lies. The fact that we are involved in on-site construction is certainly an expression of our desire to deliver products while fine-tuning them onsite. However, in essence, it is a process that is indispensable to fully understand the client, the architecture, and the fabrication process from order placement to delivery, only by experiencing the "completion" of the construction while experiencing the space itself. In this way, we are constantly refined.
