Stock composition and Renovation Possibility of urban Style Row-rise Houses for rent

Urban style row-rise houses for rent have been supplied to the center of city from the 1950's first half The amount of stock is about 450,000 houses and occupies about 40％ in the private rented house. As for the structure, the 60％ of them is wooden-structure and the rest is non-wooden. Stocks of 57.5％ of the wooden-structure and 86％ of the non-wooden were built after 1981 years. It was 1981 years that the new earthquake-resistant standard was carried out, the improvement of stocks built before 1981 is necessary because those don't satisfy the present standard. To investigate the renovation possibility of urban style row-rise houses for rent, actual situation of two-story apartment at 2,4, and 5 Chome Taito-Ku in Tokyo was surveyed from July to November 2001. The number of building analyzed is 227 ridges among 234 ridges of the surveyed two-story building. 90％ of building analyzed is wooden structure. 1) The site of 88％ building surveyed is close to a road less than 4m width. It becomes the existing non-conformed building in the building construction act. It is impossible to make a renovation such as rebuilding, extension and remodeling because it requires the set back when renovating this type of non-conformed building, 2) The building built before 1981 is almost wooden-structure, and occupies 37％ of the building surveyed, and doesn't satisfy the present earthquake-resistant standard. An improvement of them is needed because the decrepitude of building proceeds. 3) 50％ of openings and 40％ of windows of the building surveyed doesn't use noncombustible materials. Though it becomes the existing non-conformed building, it can satisfy the present standard by replacing openings with noncombustible materials.