Nikken Sekkei's 115-Year Life History

In 2015, Nikken Sekkei celebrated its 115th anniversary. Throughout the Meiji, Taisho, Showa, and Heisei eras, we have walked hand in hand with the societies and people of each era. This journey has been a history of striving, across generations, to create the values needed by the people of each era through “trust and technology.”

Society and companies can be likened to “living systems” that continue to thrive amid changing circumstances. We present this living system—which has evolved alongside our ever-changing society—as “Nikken Sekkei: 115 Years of History.”

1. Prologue

1-1 Prologue

Magoichi Noguchi (1869–1915), Haku Hidaka (1875–1953), *Japanese Architecture [Meiji, Taisho, Showa]: The Design of Commercial Cities*

2. The Dawn of the Meiji Era

2-1 The Cradle of the Meiji Era—From the Besshi Copper Mine—

2-2: Beginning with Sumitomo Shunsui

2-3 The Establishment of Sumitomo Head Office’s Temporary Construction Division, Based on the Premise of “Temporary”

2-4 The Sea Breeze of Suma — The Sumitomo Family’s Suma Villa —

2-5 Osaka Library — From the “Ideal Prototype” of Western Classical Architecture —

Osaka Library (now the Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library), 1904
*Architectural Drawings of Dr. Noguchi*

3. Toward Further Modernization
—From the Taishō Era to the Early Shōwa Era—

3-1 “Harmony” Collaboration
— Sumitomo Shunsui, Hidaka Hō, Ogawa Jihei, Yagi Jinbei —

3-2 The BCP of Taisho 12
— The Great Kanto Earthquake and the Sumitomo Bank Tokyo Branch —

3-3: Aim for Simplicity and Reliability
— Completion of the Sumitomo Building —

3-4 The Roots of the Direct Maintenance System

Sumitomo Building (now Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Osaka Head Office) Phase 1: 1926; Phase 2: 1930
Photo by: Kiyohiko Higashide

4. The Turbulent Waters of the Great Depression and a Fresh Start from Scratch

4-1 Establishment of the Hasebe & Takekoshi Architectural Office
— Into the Storm of the Great Depression —

4-2 Osaka Stock Exchange Market Hall
— A Pioneer in High-Functionality, Large-Scale Spaces —

4-3 Nippon Life Insurance Headquarters Main Building
— A Distinguished Building That Has Endured Through Turbulent Times —

4-4 Between "to" and "from" in Kitahama 5-chome, 13
—The Great Air Raids on Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, and Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Okinawa—

The Great Tokyo Air Raid, 1945
Free Encyclopedia “Wikipedia,” Photo taken by the U.S. military (1945)

5. From the Postwar Ruins

5-1 Sumitomo Corporation and Nikken Sekkei Construction

5-2 Establishment of Nikken Sekkei Construction Co., Ltd.
— The Youthful Spirit of the “Postwar Era” —

5-3: The Legacy of the Steel Mill Project and Questions for the Future

5-4: The Establishment of the Civil Engineering Division and the Work of the U.S. Army’s Japan Construction Headquarters

Japan Construction Industry Co., Ltd. Office Building, 1946
“Up to 13 Kitahama 5-chome”

6. Toward a Youthful Japan

6-1: The Face of the Postwar Economy, the Vessel of a New Democracy
— The Hyakujūshi Building, the Hyakujūshi Bank Headquarters, and the Hiroshima Prefectural Government Building —

6-2 Palace Side Building
—Bringing the Texture of Japanese Architecture to Life Through Modern Technology—

6-3 The DNA of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan
—The Power of Freedom—

Palace Side Building, 1966
Photo by Osamu Murai

7. The Big Bang of Society and Technology

7-1 The Technological Big Bang: The 1970s–1990
—The Realization of “The Limits to Growth” Also Begins—

7-2: As Society Grows Larger
— Nakano Sunplaza and Shinjuku NS Building —

7-3 Embracing the Past and Looking Toward the Future
— Osaka City Hall and NEC Headquarters —

7-4: What It Means to Build a City
— Osaka Business Park —

Nakano Sunplaza (National Youth and Workers' Hall) 1973
"Building Future Japan 1900–2000"

8. How to Shape Society as It Evolves

8-1: Buildings Becoming More Multifunctional and Larger as Cities Evolve

8-2 The Power of Green
—Creating and Connecting Tree-Lined Streets—

8-3 Creative Management Makes Uncharted Projects a Reality

8-4 Organizational Design for Company-wide Centralization and Group Management

(Left) Izumi Garden 2002 Photographed: Kawasumi・Kobayashi Kenji Photograph Office
(Right) Shibuya Hikarie 2012 ©provided by Shibuya Hikarie: Shibuya Hikarie