About Tsutomu Kokawa
Dr. Eng., Professor Emeritus of Tokai University Born 1947 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from Waseda University and working for an architectural company, completed studies at Graduate School, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Then, moved to Asahikawa, Hokkaido in 1980 and began to study ice shell construction. Appling the construction method described in this chapter, built more than one hundred ice shells up to now. Based on the construction experiences, field experiments and theoretical studies on 20~30m span ice domes conducted in the past, he and his students went on an exciting, thrilling and wonderful voyage a few years ago towards the realization of a huge ice dome spanning 40 meters, which is almost same base diameter of Pantheon in Rome, one of the biggest historical stone dome. He tells "The ice shell is environmentally compatible because it simply returns to the earth as water in spring. Although the life is very short, the shell is a beautiful structure and also has a practical side. It can be constructed easily if we prepare a set of equipment for spraying water, a snow blower, an air blower, a double-plane membrane bag, a reticulated rope cover, snow and water. It has a possibility to become a useful structure in not only inland Hokkaido but also the severe cold regions all over the world such as Canada, Alaska, Northeast China, North Scandinavia, Russia and Antarctica. I would like to hope for the regional development of usage and application of ice shells in those areas." Received 2002 Tsuboi Award from IASS (International Association Shell and Spatial Structures) for "Field Study of A 30-M Span Ice-Dome".