Copper Cladded Basket Building

On an Edo Street

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Vera: Copper! Why might the building be covered in copper now?

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東京江戸博物館

Dylan: Edo was a city of earthquakes and fires. People with money sheathed their timber buildings so they might survive the fires.

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Vera: Nice patina. But what do you make of the pattern?

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Dylan: It was a shop selling basketware.

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Vera: A basket weave motif. Clever.

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Voice-over

Copper is good for many things in buildings. Sheds water of course. It’s a relatively light metal. It’s long-lasting. It can protect against fires. And it has an attractive patina. In Vera’s vernacular, what’s not to like?

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