New Publication Marking Nikken Sekkei’s 125th Anniversary Released
The book examines Nikken Sekkei since 2000 from the perspectives of “architectural design” and “social and environmental design,” and explores the future of architecture, urban planning, and design
PRESS RELEASE
2025.02.26
Nikken Sekkei Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director President and CEO:Atsushi Omatsu; hereinafter “Nikken Sekkei”) have been published: “a+u December 2024 Issue | Nikken Sekkei 2000–2024” (published November 27, 2024) and “a+u February 2025 Special Issue |Nikken Sekkei Encyclopedia—Sharing the World of Nikken Sekkei to Respond to Society” (published January 30, 2025), have been published by A&U Co., Ltd.
In anticipation of the firm’s 125th anniversary in 2025, these two books compile Nikken Sekkei’s initiatives—which have become increasingly diverse since 2000—from the dual perspectives of “Architectural Design” and “Social and Environmental Design.”
In anticipation of the firm’s 125th anniversary in 2025, these two books compile Nikken Sekkei’s initiatives—which have become increasingly diverse since 2000—from the dual perspectives of “Architectural Design” and “Social and Environmental Design.”
-
"a+u December 2024 Issue | Nikken Sekkei 2000–2024"
-
"a+u February 2025 Special Issue | Nikken Sekkei Encyclopedia—Sharing the World of Nikken Sekkei to Respond to Society"
"a+u December 2024 Issue | Nikken Sekkei 2000–2024" Overview
The December issue of *a+u* features Nikken Sekkei. Nikken Sekkei is a design firm with a 125-year history (founded in 1900) that employs approximately 3,000 people, including its group companies. What principles do the architects—who have been involved in numerous architectural and urban planning projects in Japan—rely on, and what traditions do they carry forward? As we worked on this issue, two key elements emerged: floor plans and site layouts. Many of the architects featured in this issue state that floor plans and site layouts are tools that allow them to explore the needs of society and clients when approached with sincerity during the design process. This design philosophy may have been essential for the firm to expand its influence while passing its legacy on to the next generation. In this issue, we have presented all of these projects using site plans and floor plans drawn to the same scale of 1/750. All explanatory texts are based on interviews, aiming not only to introduce the buildings but also to offer a glimpse into the designers’ thinking. Through the buildings featured in this issue—spanning from 2000 to 2024—we reflect on the issues and challenges facing contemporary architecture and cities, and explore the future of architecture. (Ed.)
[Table of Contents]
NIKKEN GALAXY
Same-Scale Plan
Essay: What Does Our Era Demand of Architecture?
Hiroshi Naito
POLA Museum of Arts
Izumi Garden
Hyogo Performing Arts Center
Kyoto State Guest House
Osaka Bar Association Building
Mokuzai Kaikan
HOKI Museum
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University
NBF Osaki Building
TOKYO SKYTREE℠
The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto
GranRoof Tokyo Station Yaesu Development
Toho Gakuen School of Music, Chofu Campus, Building 1
Same-Scale Plan
Essay: What Does Our Era Demand of Architecture?
Hiroshi Naito
POLA Museum of Arts
Izumi Garden
Hyogo Performing Arts Center
Kyoto State Guest House
Osaka Bar Association Building
Mokuzai Kaikan
HOKI Museum
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University
NBF Osaki Building
TOKYO SKYTREE℠
The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto
GranRoof Tokyo Station Yaesu Development
Toho Gakuen School of Music, Chofu Campus, Building 1
YKK 80 Building
Tokyu Plaza Ginza
COOP Kyosai Plaza
Matsuyama University, Bunkyo Campus “myu terrace”
Museum Tower Kyobashi / Artizon Museum
Ariake Gymnastics Centre (Now Ariake GYM-EX)
Waseda University Honjo High School Gymnasium
MIYASHITA PARK
Shinjuku Sumitomo Building RE-INNOVATION PROJECT
HD Hyundai Global R&D Center
One Za’abeel
Spotify Camp Nou
Essay: The Shackles and Liberation of “Ordinary Architecture”
Naohiko Hino
Dialogue: Design Shaped by Projects
Tomohiko Yamanashi × Hiroaki Otani (Chief Design Officer)
Tokyu Plaza Ginza
COOP Kyosai Plaza
Matsuyama University, Bunkyo Campus “myu terrace”
Museum Tower Kyobashi / Artizon Museum
Ariake Gymnastics Centre (Now Ariake GYM-EX)
Waseda University Honjo High School Gymnasium
MIYASHITA PARK
Shinjuku Sumitomo Building RE-INNOVATION PROJECT
HD Hyundai Global R&D Center
One Za’abeel
Spotify Camp Nou
Essay: The Shackles and Liberation of “Ordinary Architecture”
Naohiko Hino
Dialogue: Design Shaped by Projects
Tomohiko Yamanashi × Hiroaki Otani (Chief Design Officer)
[Sample Page]
"a+u February 2025 Special Issue | Nikken Sekkei Encyclopedia" Overview
The February 2025 special issue of *a+u* is titled “The Nikken Sekkei Encyclopedia.” Spanning 304 pages and featuring approximately 380 projects, it presents Nikken Sekkei’s ideas in the style of an encyclopedia. NIKKEN SEKKEI is an architectural firm with a workforce of 3,000 people, including its group companies, and this book is the result of a project that began with an examination of the firm’s design strategy. What they discovered was that, rather than distilling a grand strategy and discarding the rest, they should gather everyone’s interesting ideas—including those that do not yet take the form of architecture. These ideas were categorized under “NIKKEN DESIGN GOALS” (hereinafter NDG). The approximately 380 projects presented here represent Nikken Sekkei’s efforts to respond to society through architecture, while also revealing the firm’s current limitations. By disclosing this, we aim to generate new inspiration and connections both within and outside Nikken Sekkei, as an attempt to transcend our current limitations. This reflects Nikken Sekkei’s commitment to pursuing design in the broadest sense—where not only architectural design but everyone engages in creative practice. (Ed.)
[Table of Contents]
Dialogue: Nikken Sekkei’s Encyclopedia
──Sharing Nikken Sekkei’s World to Respond to Society
Tomohiko Yamanashi × Hiroaki Otani (Chief Design Officer)
Goal 01│Design That Thoroughly Protects the Earth’s Environment
ZEB, Wood, Greenery, Water, Air, Wind, Light, Longevity
Goal 02│Design That Prioritizes Wellness and Resilience
Rich Outdoor Spaces, Comfortable Indoor Spaces, Designing for Tranquility
Architecture that Respects Diversity; Interior Spaces that Stimulate the Imagination
Resilience that Benefits the Public
Goal 03│Design for Next-Generation Mobility, TOD, and the Mobility Experience
TOD, Shibuya: Mobility and the City
Goal 04│Designing Flexibility from Planning Through Operation
Flexible Master Plan: Opening Up Ground-Level Spaces
Pursuit of Universal Spaces: Flexible Facility Design
Goal 05│Designing Cities, Architecture, and Design Processes in the DX Era
Digital Form Design | Digital Facade Design
Digital Environment Design
Goal 06│Design That Deliberately Refrains from Construction / Design That Emulates the Local Environment
Preserving the Original, Updating Parts, Adding New Elements
Reuse / Avoid Overbuilding / Building in Historic Cities / Dialogue with Nature
Creating the Urban Landscape
Goal 07│Designing Systems and Mechanisms
Contributing to the City, Creating Public Spaces, Forms Guided by Regulations
──Sharing Nikken Sekkei’s World to Respond to Society
Tomohiko Yamanashi × Hiroaki Otani (Chief Design Officer)
Goal 01│Design That Thoroughly Protects the Earth’s Environment
ZEB, Wood, Greenery, Water, Air, Wind, Light, Longevity
Goal 02│Design That Prioritizes Wellness and Resilience
Rich Outdoor Spaces, Comfortable Indoor Spaces, Designing for Tranquility
Architecture that Respects Diversity; Interior Spaces that Stimulate the Imagination
Resilience that Benefits the Public
Goal 03│Design for Next-Generation Mobility, TOD, and the Mobility Experience
TOD, Shibuya: Mobility and the City
Goal 04│Designing Flexibility from Planning Through Operation
Flexible Master Plan: Opening Up Ground-Level Spaces
Pursuit of Universal Spaces: Flexible Facility Design
Goal 05│Designing Cities, Architecture, and Design Processes in the DX Era
Digital Form Design | Digital Facade Design
Digital Environment Design
Goal 06│Design That Deliberately Refrains from Construction / Design That Emulates the Local Environment
Preserving the Original, Updating Parts, Adding New Elements
Reuse / Avoid Overbuilding / Building in Historic Cities / Dialogue with Nature
Creating the Urban Landscape
Goal 07│Designing Systems and Mechanisms
Contributing to the City, Creating Public Spaces, Forms Guided by Regulations
Goal 08│Organizational Design for Sustaining Creativity
Spaces That Spark Innovation: Client Collaboration
+NIKKEN
Goal 09│Design with International Competitiveness
Iconic / Form: JAPAN STYLE
Goal 10│Design for Compliance and Risk Management
Delivering High Quality in Overseas Projects
Goal 11│Design Efforts Across the Entire Nikken Group
Engineering Supporting the World’s Most Advanced Data Centers
Bringing Spaces to Life Through Structural Engineering
Goal 12│Design That Delivers Added Value
Creating Value Through New “Forms”
Branding That Turns Low Cost to Our Advantage
Goal 13│Design in the Narrow Sense
Designing from the Details: Striving for Exquisite Beauty
Design Through Structure: Pursuing Reinforced Concrete (RC)
Pursuing the Design of the Building Envelope: Pursuing Masonry Design
Goal 14│Design Anticipating Unpredictable Situations
Goal 15│Future Goals
Spaces That Spark Innovation: Client Collaboration
+NIKKEN
Goal 09│Design with International Competitiveness
Iconic / Form: JAPAN STYLE
Goal 10│Design for Compliance and Risk Management
Delivering High Quality in Overseas Projects
Goal 11│Design Efforts Across the Entire Nikken Group
Engineering Supporting the World’s Most Advanced Data Centers
Bringing Spaces to Life Through Structural Engineering
Goal 12│Design That Delivers Added Value
Creating Value Through New “Forms”
Branding That Turns Low Cost to Our Advantage
Goal 13│Design in the Narrow Sense
Designing from the Details: Striving for Exquisite Beauty
Design Through Structure: Pursuing Reinforced Concrete (RC)
Pursuing the Design of the Building Envelope: Pursuing Masonry Design
Goal 14│Design Anticipating Unpredictable Situations
Goal 15│Future Goals
[Sample Page]
Contact information regarding this matter
株式会社日建設計 広報室 Tel. 03-5226-3030 e-mail：webmaster@nikken.jp
SHARE
