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Kajima Builds NDK America's First U.S. Plant On September 12, NDK America Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Nihon Dempa Kogyo Co., Ltd. (NDK), will mark the one-year anniversary of the opening of its first U.S. manufacturing plant. Located in Belvidere, Illinois, the facility was designed and built by the duo of Kajima Associates, Inc. and Kajima Construction Services, Inc. The opening of the facility was a significant landmark in NDK's history and was celebrated with a gala grand opening. But even the excitement generated by that occasion seemed to pale in comparison with the attention generated by the installation of the plant's first set of four autoclaves, the devices used for growing the synthetic quartz--the key material in the company's products. NDK is the world's largest manufacturer of frequency-control devices. Moreover, its autoclaves, which generate internal temperatures of up to 370  (700 ) and pressure in excess of 20,000 psi, are the most efficient in the world and create the best synthetic quartz available. They are used in the production of frequencies for such devices as mobile telephones. |
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The installation of the autoclaves was a significant event in terms of what it meant as both a construction milestone and a construction marvel. So tall are the devices, at 15 meters (50 feet), that the section of the plant housing them required a tower structure to be built adjacent to the rest of the plant. And with a weight of 75 tons each and a diameter of 1 meter (3.5 feet), installation of the long cylindrical objects was a construction challenge. With safety as Kajima's top priority at all times, the team took into consideration all possible contingencies before approving the final plan. On June 5, 2003, a 500-ton crane began the slow process of delicately lifting the autoclaves above the 24-meter (80-foot) tower. The spectacle, which could be seen even from the nearby Northwest Tollway, attracted a crowd of NDK and Kajima staff, as well as township officials, all of whom watched as the autoclaves were carefully lowered into a 2.4-meter by 2.4-meter (8-foot by 8-foot) opening in the roof. Three months later--and six months ahead of schedule--four additional autoclaves were installed and the NDK plant was fully operational. The precast-concrete and metallic shell building is approximately 5,100 square meters (55,000 square feet) in size, of which an area of 3,100 square meters (34,000 square feet) is dedicated to manufacturing. The plant also has purpose-built sections for warehousing, research and development, sales and marketing, and executive offices. Plans call for additional autoclaves to be installed in the future. |
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 OU-Vapor  casa 2  Multiple Layers |
The 8th Kajima Sculpture Contest Showcases Art in an Architectural Context The 8th Kajima Sculpture Contest was held in March 2004. Japan's only indoor sculpture contest began in 1989 as a project to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Kajima's founding, and has become firmly established as a gateway to success for promising sculptors. The contest is held biennially on the theme "Sculpture, Architecture and Space." High-profile publicity over the Internet and in the mass media that had started in May 2003 attracted 364 entries for this year's contest. A committee of judges comprising Japan's foremost art critics, sculptors, and architects evaluated the entries from the standpoint of beauty and presence in the context of architectural space. Following careful deliberation, the committee selected several excellent sculptures rich in originality as prize-winning works. Mitsuo Fukada won the Gold Award for his work OU-Vapor. For the past several years, Mr. Fukada has been sculpting on the theme of the steadily worsening global environment. Through OU-Vapor, he seeks to powerfully convey the importance of water. The work expresses a mist billowing from the surface of a quiet lake situated in densely wooded mountains to form a dense fog that gradually rises and envelops the surrounding air. Water, the essential condition of life, is beautifully preserved through eternity. The Silver Award went to Hiroyuki Nishimura for his work casa 2, and the Bronze Award to Takayuki Kiyofuji for Multiple Layers. |
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Dagangpu Station to Be One of the World's Largest Circular Underground Structures The municipal government of Kaohsiung, Taiwan's second largest city, has awarded The Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation a concession to build and operate the city's first-ever underground railway. The project involves construction of two subway lines to crisscross the city: the Red Line, a 28-kilometer (17-mile) subway line to run north-south, and the Orange Line, a 14-kilometer (9-mile) subway line to run east-west. The Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation has undertaken the project under a build-operatetransfer (BOT) contract with the municipal government, and has selected contractors for design and build turnkey contracts. The project is scheduled for completion in 2007. Kajima, in a joint venture with RSEA Engineering Corporation, a major Taiwanese government-affiliated construction company, has been awarded the contract for the tunneling and construction of Dagangpu Station, the point where the Red Line and Orange Line will intersect. Kajima's successful proposal for the underground station involves construction of a circular structure 140 meters (460 feet) in diameter by means of a circular continuous underground wall, a method proven successful in the construction of LNG underground tanks. When completed, the station will rank among the world's largest circular underground structures. Adoption of this construction method obviates the need for earth-retaining supports and makes possible the rapid construction required in urban areas. The architectural design of the station has become the subject of considerable attention, not least because it is the work of renowned Japanese architect Shin Takamatsu. Construction on the project began in 2001. The station portion will be completed by the end of 2006, and the entire project is scheduled for completion in September 2007. The construction site imposes harsh working conditions owing to the relentless scorching heat in the subtropical climate and the heavy traffic volume in the city center. Nevertheless, the Taiwanese and Japanese staff and workers are working together as a tightly knit team to surmount these difficulties and complete construction on schedule. |
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Kajima Constructs New Buildings for the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts With Kajima's help, new buildings for young artistic talents have been constructed in Singapore. These colorful, pop buildings are a block of the new campus for the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), located on Singapore's Bencoolen Street. The area is regarded as a cultural and civic district, surrounded by several museums and with a national library nearby. The buildings, designed by one of the most established architects in Singapore, Dr. Liu Thai Ker, director of RSP Architects, Planners and Engineers (Pte.) Ltd., project the image of a legendary Chinese dragon flying along the street. The project comprised three seven-story school buildings at three locations along the busy street, with a total construction floor area of 50,510 square meters (544,000 square feet). Kajima's Singapore arm, Kajima Overseas Asia Pte. Ltd., which undertook the project, not only delivered the three school buildings after a rapid schedule of 23 months but also received a Silver Award/Safety Performance Award 2003. The project received the third-highest score ever in its category, as determined by CONQUAS, Singapore's official quality assessment system. It is scheduled to be nominated for next year's Construction Excellence Award as well. NAFA, founded in 1938, is one of the most established arts institutions in the region. It has a student population of more than 3,000 and staff of over 250, with four schools under its auspices, for visual arts, performing arts, fashion studies and young talents. NAFA's new purpose-built campus at Bencoolen Street, which boasts stateof- the-art facilities and modern amenities, is now ready to nurture new talents. |
 Vol. 30 Autumn 2004
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