History

With the transition from the Edo period to the Meiji era, the Westernization of the country's structure progressed.
The Meiji government issued government-issued paper currency. The unit of currency became the yen, and a monetary economy, similar to that of today, truly began to operate.
During the Edo period, Osaka was known as the "kitchen of Japan" and played a central role in the Japanese economy. However, from the end of the Edo period to the early Meiji era, the Osaka economy temporarily declined due to the abolition of storehouses and the write-off of domain debts. Sumitomo, hoping to establish a monetary economy in the Kansai region and revive "Osaka as a commercial city," decided to engage in banking and planned the construction of its head office.
It was resolved that "construction work should be planned to take several years, be thoroughly and sturdily built, and designed with a hundred-year lifespan in mind."
In 1900 (Meiji 33), the "Sumitomo Head Office Temporary Construction Department," a group of architectural experts, was established to handle the "purpose" of a monetary economy and the construction of the head office.
This is the origin of Nikken Sekkei.
As the name "temporary" suggests, the "Sumitomo Head Office Temporary Construction Department" was intended to be disbanded once the building was completed, but great expectations were placed on the 26 members who were assembled with a strong emphasis on technical skills.
This Sumitomo Head Office "project," utilizing the latest technologies of the time, demonstrated a vision for a new era of banking and "contributed" to the economic development of the Kansai region and the establishment of modern banking.
Nikken Sekkei inherits the aspiration to contribute to the national interest from the mining engineers of its originating Sumitomo, and this commitment is ingrained in its DNA.

After Japan opened its doors to the world following the Meiji Restoration, the influx of ships from overseas increased, making the development of Osaka's port essential for the growth of its trade and commerce.
The large-scale port construction project initiated by the city of Osaka had been suspended due to the city's financial difficulties following the economic depression after the Russo-Japanese War.
Seeing this situation, Sumitomo requested the construction of the first pier, which would serve as the starting point for the Osaka North Port project, and the development of the warehouse complex behind it, in order to contribute to the economic development of the Kansai region.
The city of Osaka accepted Sumitomo's offer, and Sumitomo will carry out all construction work under the supervision of the city of Osaka.
Against this backdrop, in 1919 (Taisho 8), Sumitomo established a "Temporary Civil Engineering Department" within its head office and began operations at Osaka North Port.
In the same year, to advance the project, the temporary civil engineering department was made independent, and together with the related landowners' association, "Osaka Kita Port Co., Ltd." was established.
We will promote a "project" that incorporates the latest civil engineering technologies of the time.
The plan involved constructing a port including breakwaters and piers, land reclamation and development, warehouses, factories, and even residential areas, aiming to develop an international industrial city directly connected to Osaka Port.
In an era when the concept of public works did not exist, they established a system equivalent to modern-day public-private partnership projects and "contributed" to urban development.
Furthermore, this project involved collaboration between two groups of experts: one in architecture and the other in civil engineering, which laid the foundation for Nikken Sekkei.

After World War II, Sumitomo decided to establish a company to serve as a haven for engineers who had returned home after enduring great hardships and were now out of work.
It believed that allowing the talent it had nurtured over many years to disperse would not only be a significant loss but, above all, that engineers were essential for Japan’s postwar reconstruction.
Furthermore, anticipating the move to dismantle the zaibatsu, the company prepared to split into separate entities with a clear purpose, rather than being forced to disband.
Thus, it established “Nippon Construction Industry”—named after the ideal of “building a new Japan from the ruins”—and later founded “Nikkenshi Construction.”
At the time of Nikken Sekkei Construction’s founding, Japan Construction Industry held all of its shares to support the company’s establishment, but once the business was on track, President and CEO and 15 others acquired the shares.
At that time, President and CEO established a policy of not transferring any of its shares to outside parties.
This marked the beginning of our current employee stock ownership system.
This system is deeply rooted in the spirit of strictly maintaining a position of independence and self-reliance as a design and supervision firm, free from the influence of any external forces.

As the free-market economy grew and civic life became more vibrant, the general public took center stage.
As GDP rose, people gained the financial means to enjoy culture and entertainment, creating a demand for multifunctional, multipurpose facilities.
The “project” that responded to this need was the “National Youth and Workers’ Hall” (now Nakano Sunplaza).
Within a limited site, three buildings—an auditorium for theater and music, a hotel, and an office and sports facility—were arranged in a three-dimensional layout using structural techniques honed in industrial construction. The resulting large triangular complex became a symbol of the era.
Later, as demand grew for large spaces to accommodate increasingly large-scale events, “TOKYO DOME” was born.
Capacity expanded from 10,000 people in venues such as the hall to 60,000.
It became the pioneer of the all-weather, multipurpose stadiums that can now be seen in various locations.
From the 1970s to the present day, Nikken Sekkei has continued to “contribute” to the expanding world of popular culture.

As the Japanese market transitioned from a growth phase to a mature phase, many companies began to look to the global market.
This gave rise to the “need” for expanded international airport facilities, leading to the creation of “Kansai International Airport Co.,Ltd.,” Japan’s first airport capable of 24-hour operation.
With safety as a top priority, this national “project” involved building the airport on an artificial island located approximately 5 km off the coast of Osaka Bay. The construction of this artificial island—spanning approximately 510 hectares and reclaimed from waters with an average depth of about 18 meters—was a project of global scale.
Drawing on Nikken Sekkei’s comprehensive capabilities—centered on “architecture” and “civil engineering”—which had been cultivated over the course of its history, the firm successfully executed this highly sophisticated and challenging project, thereby “contributing” to Japan’s globalization.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the Great East Japan Earthquake significantly changed people’s awareness of disasters.
Nikken Sekkei had already been addressing the reality that Japan is a country prone to earthquakes long before those events.
For the “Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital” project, we conducted a geological survey and found that the site had been raised above the water level reached during past floods of the former Kitakami River. As a result, the hospital avoided flooding caused by the tsunami of the Great East Japan Earthquake, enabling it to continue providing high-quality medical care.
This incident demonstrates how Nikken Sekkei’s DNA—which is always responsive to the needs of the times—led to a life-saving contribution.
The lessons learned from the Ishinomaki Red Cross Hospital experience have been applied to the design of subsequent medical facilities.
In addition, a team of volunteers from Nikken Sekkei developed “Escape Map,” a tool for visualizing evacuation routes on maps from the perspective of urban and architectural professionals.
Private Because these maps can be created in workshops and shared online, their use has spread to local governments and schools across Japan, as well as overseas.

Since the oil crisis, Nikken Sekkei has been working on energy and resource conservation, environmentally friendly architecture that promotes these principles, and the realization of environmentally friendly cities.
Since the 2000s, efforts to address global environmental issues have progressed, and among these, measures to achieve carbon neutrality have become an urgent issue.
More than 70% of public school facilities are buildings that are over 25 years old, and no environmental measures have been taken to address this issue.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has spearheaded the Super Eco School demonstration project, which aims to promote zero-energy facilities in public schools.
Based on this understanding of "utility," Nikken Sekkei undertook the "project" for "Mizunami Kita Junior High School" in Gifu Prefecture.
We believe it's important not only to have facilities, but also for students to be conscious of ecology and energy conservation and to take action themselves, so we have introduced a system to encourage energy-saving behavior.
As a result, the elementary, junior high, and high schools in Japan became the first to achieve ZEB (Net Zero Energy Building) status.
By opening up possibilities for numerous public schools across the country as a model for achieving Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs), this project has become a "contributor" to promoting carbon neutrality in the future.
Nikken Sekkei receives numerous awards almost every year for facilities that excel in areas such as innovation, energy efficiency, and resource conservation.
Carbon neutrality is a project that aligns with Nikken Sekkei's DNA, and we will continue to make "contributions" that connect the natural environment with human activities.