Julian Bicknell Associates - Architecture of Fine Quality

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ROYAL CREST HOUSE, TAKASAKI

This new banqueting complex in the city of Takasaki some 50 miles from Tokyo was created for Mr Hagiwara of the Swan Group. It is attached to an existing complex containing reception rooms and a wedding chapel and provides a self contained suite of rooms for parties of up to 150 guests.

The new building is entered through its own landscaped garden. Inside is a galleried entrance hall that leads on one side to a formal reception room and on the other to the banqueting hall itself. The grand staircase leads to the gallery over the entrance hall and a generous bar. The building also houses a number of private rooms (a VIP sitting room, changing rooms for the bride and groom, etc) as well as kitchens and other service areas.

The building is constructed of in situ concrete to the rigorous standards of the Japanese earthquake code. It is finished in painted stucco in the manner of London buildings of the early 19th century. The interiors are decorated in a range of classical manners: the reception room in a restrained Greek style, the dining room in a more ebullient baroque, and the bar in timber panelling.

Many elements of the building were brought in from Europe and elsewhere. The decorative capitals and the ironwork in the Dining Hall, and the Bar were specially made in the UK. Many decorative features, furniture, fabrics and fittings were also acquired in the UK or elsewhere: carved timber mouldings from the USA, plasterwork from Indonesia, marble from China, and so forth.

The building was completed in 18 months from initial design to the formal opening in November 2002. It was designed in collaboration with Yasuo Fujiwara of ArFam, Tokyo and constructed by Sato Corporation of Maebashi city. The interior design was undertaken and executed by the Swan Group house staff in collaboration with the architects.

Julian Bicknell & Associates is a London based architectural practice of thirty years standing, specialising in quality buildings, interiors and landscapes - mainly in classical or traditional style. The practice has worked for private clients and developers all over the UK and in Japan, Russia, the USA, Morocco, Germany and Kazakhstan. The work includes spacious country houses, luxury homes on the prestige estates at Wentworth and St. Georges Hill, museums, restaurants, theatres, schools, a golf club and modifications to important historic buildings. The design philosophy combines a deep sympathy for traditional design and building methods, with a full understanding of energy strategies and construction management. The practice works closely with other professionals and experienced craftsmen to achieve low-energy buildings of real quality within predetermined budgets.