8-3: Creative Management Makes Uncharted Projects a Reality

In today’s world, where society, the economy, and technology are evolving at an ever-accelerating pace, we often find ourselves tackling projects on a scale and of a nature we have never experienced before. In such situations, the first challenge we face is, “How should we approach this project?” The answer to this question lies in “project management.” Project management involves the following three key points:
① Clarify the goals and the path to achieving them, and share them with all stakeholders.
② Maximize the value of the project.
③ Conduct the project in a way that fosters consensus.
Here, I will explain these three key points using two examples of project management: the large-scale “Tokyo Midtown,” which involved many designers from Japan and abroad, and the restoration of the Goeido Hall at the Higashi Honganji Shinshu Honbyo—the world’s largest wooden structure by floor area, built in 1895.

The first task of project management is to clearly define the project’s specific goals. For Tokyo Midtown—a project that created a unique urban character featuring approximately 4 hectares of open space in the city center—the development scale for each land use, the corresponding transportation plan, the model plan for implementation, and the opening date were all clearly defined early on as shared goals among all stakeholders.
To achieve these goals via the most efficient route, consultations and procedures with government agencies must be carried out in the optimal sequence, in parallel with the design work. The master schedule sets out these procedures. It was also crucial that the path to achieving these goals was shared among all stakeholders.
In long-term projects, it is not uncommon for significant changes requiring administrative procedures to arise due to shifts in social and economic conditions. While major changes did occur at Tokyo Midtown, the roadmap established at the outset was well-thought-out, allowing us to flexibly adjust the optimal procedures and reach the opening date without delay.This was only possible because everyone involved shared a clear understanding of the goal and the path to achieving it.

Tokyo Midtown Nikken Sekkei serves as the lead architect (Core Architect), overseeing the overall design. To simultaneously achieve both a sense of unity in the district’s design and a diversity of individual character, 12 architectural firms and designers from Japan and abroad were strategically selected.This required management that maximized the design and performance of each firm, along with meticulous schedule management, while coordinating the 30 design contracts. This is design management aimed at maximizing the value of this project.

A. Design Wing
Design: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates + Nikken Sekkei
B. Garden Terrace　　　C. Suntory Museum of Art
Design: Kengo Kuma & Associates
D. Landscape
Design: EDAW
E Midtown Tower G Midtown East
H Midtown West
Design: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo
Interior Design: Frank Nicholson
F. Park Residences
Exterior Design Supervision: Jun Aoki Architects
The Park Residences at TheRitz-Carlton, Tokyo
Interior Design: Frank Nicholson
I: Galleria and Other Commercial Facilities
Design: Communication Arts
J. Garden Side
Design: Sakakura Architects
Lighting Design: Fischer Marantz Stone
Signage Design: Haruyasu Inaba Design Office
Art Director: Toshio Shimizu Art Office

The main focus of the Higashi Hongan-ji Shin Buddhist Main Mausoleum Gokyo-do Project was to preserve the value of cultural properties in collaboration with experts. Alongside the preservation and restoration of cultural properties—carried out by experts of “Living National Treasure” caliber in fields such as roof tile work, carpentry, and lacquer work—the project also involved strengthening and upgrading the aging fire protection systems using the latest technology.Furthermore, the project has incorporated a variety of cutting-edge modern technologies, such as conducting experiments on a shake table that artificially simulates major earthquakes to apply seismic reinforcement while leveraging the natural deformation capacity inherent in wooden structures.
To inscribe the names of all donors to the Mikage-dō renovation project on 175,000 roof tiles without affecting the overall construction schedule, an IT-based system capable of printing directly onto the tiles was developed in collaboration with a manufacturer of printing and plate-making equipment.These are just a few examples; the value of this project has been maximized through the management of various technologies that combine restoration techniques for traditional cultural properties with the latest technological advancements.

In any project, people from various backgrounds are involved, and the more diverse and complex the group of participants becomes, the more essential it is to adopt an “approach that fosters understanding” while fulfilling “accountability.” While there are many aspects that require accountability, here we will focus on the management of “construction costs”—a topic that generally attracts the most attention—using the Shinnyo-ji Honbyo Mieido Project as an example.
Since this restoration project is funded by donations from approximately 1.3 million followers nationwide, it was essential to ensure not only the quality of the work but also a high degree of rationality, transparency, and fairness.To ensure transparency, specifications were determined with the advice of academics and experts; after obtaining approval from the client on a case-by-case basis, separate contracts were directly awarded to a consortium composed of individuals certified in cultural property preservation techniques, thereby enabling the project to proceed at a reasonable overall cost.This method is known as the “cost-based separate contracting system”; it delves into the details of shared temporary facilities and miscellaneous expenses—which typically remain hidden—and serves as a management approach to rationally reduce construction costs.

When climbing an uncharted mountain, advanced climbing techniques are necessary, but management tasks—such as selecting the climbing route and organizing the climbing team—determine the outcome. Project management is no different; creative, one-time project management specific to that particular project is a major factor in determining the success or failure of the entire project.

(References)
Nikken Sekkei (2007), *FACT: Project Management in Practice*, Nikken Sekkei