Preservation work for A-bomb Dome goes into full swing Scaffolding almost completed Thought given to making outer walls visible
Oct. 22, 2020
by Tsuyoshi Kubota, Staff Writer
Preservation work for the A-bomb Dome, a World Heritage site located in central Hiroshima, is going into full swing. They have almost finished building steel scaffolding around the building for repairing cracks and painting. During the work, areas and the time to use splash-prevention sheets, will be made minimum to make the outer walls of the dome visible as much as possible. The work will continue until next March.
The scaffolding will eventually be 24.5 meters high, which is about the height of the Dome. Only those areas where paint can scatter will be covered with sheets, which will be removed after the work in the area is finished. During the four previous preservation projects completed before 2016, the entire scaffolding was covered with sheets, about which some tourists expressed disappointment.
During this first preservation work in four years, efforts will be made to make the building visible as much as possible. A volunteer guide has shown a positive attitude toward showing the building that relates the horrific consequences of the atomic bombing. “Proper preservation work must be done to keep this building for future generations. So, I explain to tourists that this is one of the precious images of the Dome,” said Masako Ouchi, 69, a second-generation survivor living in Nishi Ward. She has been guiding tourists around the A-bomb Dome for about seven years.
Kiyoshi Takagi, 60, a company employee from Aichi Prefecture, was visiting the Dome for the first time in 40 years. “My memory had faded, but it is good that the Dome remains as it was. I can think about peace when I come here,” he said looking up at the A-bomb Dome.
Four projects to preserve the building were carried out in the past, beginning in 1967. During this fifth project, steel parts in the dome and the spiral staircase, which were painted in 1989, will be painted dark brown, which is close to the color used at the time of the bombing. Joints between bricks on the wall and cracks on the columns in the window area will also be repaired.
An official at the City’s Park Development Division said, “We asked the construction company to try to make the A-bomb Dome visible. There are not many visitors because of the impact of COVID-19, but we hope that they will learn the reality of the atomic bombing.”
(Originally published on October 22, 2020)
Preservation work for the A-bomb Dome, a World Heritage site located in central Hiroshima, is going into full swing. They have almost finished building steel scaffolding around the building for repairing cracks and painting. During the work, areas and the time to use splash-prevention sheets, will be made minimum to make the outer walls of the dome visible as much as possible. The work will continue until next March.
The scaffolding will eventually be 24.5 meters high, which is about the height of the Dome. Only those areas where paint can scatter will be covered with sheets, which will be removed after the work in the area is finished. During the four previous preservation projects completed before 2016, the entire scaffolding was covered with sheets, about which some tourists expressed disappointment.
During this first preservation work in four years, efforts will be made to make the building visible as much as possible. A volunteer guide has shown a positive attitude toward showing the building that relates the horrific consequences of the atomic bombing. “Proper preservation work must be done to keep this building for future generations. So, I explain to tourists that this is one of the precious images of the Dome,” said Masako Ouchi, 69, a second-generation survivor living in Nishi Ward. She has been guiding tourists around the A-bomb Dome for about seven years.
Kiyoshi Takagi, 60, a company employee from Aichi Prefecture, was visiting the Dome for the first time in 40 years. “My memory had faded, but it is good that the Dome remains as it was. I can think about peace when I come here,” he said looking up at the A-bomb Dome.
Four projects to preserve the building were carried out in the past, beginning in 1967. During this fifth project, steel parts in the dome and the spiral staircase, which were painted in 1989, will be painted dark brown, which is close to the color used at the time of the bombing. Joints between bricks on the wall and cracks on the columns in the window area will also be repaired.
An official at the City’s Park Development Division said, “We asked the construction company to try to make the A-bomb Dome visible. There are not many visitors because of the impact of COVID-19, but we hope that they will learn the reality of the atomic bombing.”
(Originally published on October 22, 2020)
