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The Kajima Sculpture Competition Moves Outdoors: "Sculpture, Architecture and Space" The Kajima Sculpture Competition has been held every two years since 1989, when it was initiated as one of the construction-related cultural events held to commemorate Kajima's 150th anniversary. The competition held this year was a little different than in past years, an international competition for an outdoor sculpture to be displayed in a special installation on the grounds of one of Kajima's development projects. The first of its kind in Japan, the project attracted much attention. The theme of the competition, "Sculpture, Architecture and Space," remained unchanged, but the judging was based on how well in harmony each structure was with a 15-square-meter (162-square-foot) space in the center of the courtyard at Toranomon Towers, a building developed, designed and constructed by Kajima. Models of each sculpture one-tenth their normal size were placed in an architectural model of the same proportion to determine their balance with the overall project, after which a full-size sculpture was commissioned. A total of 354 entries were received from 35 countries around the world (including Japan), from which a grand prize winner (the Kajima Prize) and four honorable mentions were selected. The winner of the Kajima Prize was Nobuyuki Ogasawara for his work entitled Three Notes in Harmony. Entries selected for honorable mention were Your Eyes (Anata no Me) by Artur Lescher, Transformation 2 by Ray Katz, UNTITLED 05 by Tetsuaki Maeda, and Rock Garden--The Origin by Hikaru Yumura. |
| Advanced Engineering Used to Complete the Nation's First IKEA Location The first IKEA store in Japan was opened in April on the site of the former SSAWS Ski Dome in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture. Kajima handled construction of the five-story building, which provides about 100,000 square meters (1,071,000 square feet) of floor space. The IKEA Group, founded in Sweden in 1943, is one of the world's largest manufacturers and retailers of home furnishings, with more than 230 locations in 34 countries around the world. An IKEA store is a unique sales presentation space unlike any in Japan, where the entire family can enjoy spending the day. One of IKEA's distinctive characteristics is this store planning, based on a common global format and incorporating a process for sale and distribution to customers that allows IKEA to offer products at a reasonable price. The universal exterior of its buildings, moreover, reflects IKEA's products and corporate spirit. The company considers it to be a vital part of its message to customers, and has maintained it as a global standard. One of the Funabashi project's foremost challenges was providing optimal support for the ceiling of this unique design in an earthquake-prone country such as Japan. Technical planning and engineering capabilities beyond just the application of global standards were essential to the project's realization. The Funabashi project also serves as the head office in Japan for the IKEA Group. More than just a place offering original, high-quality Scandinavian home-furnishing products, the store is fast becoming a base for spreading Swedish culture in Japan. |
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Improving Infrastructure: Contract for Construction of a Sewage Treatment Plant The joint venture established by Kajima, along with Ebara Corporation and Nishihara Environment Technology Inc., has been awarded a 14 billion yen contract by Malaysia's Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications for construction of four sewage treatment plants. Work on the plants began in March. The plants, equipped with wastewater and sludge treatment facilities, will be constructed in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, and the states of Negeri Sembilan and Malacca. Malaysia has experienced remarkable economic growth in recent years, and sewerage works have become essential facilities in the social infrastructure. The project, financed by an Official Development Assistance(ODA) loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and directly by the Malaysian government, is scheduled for completion in February 2009. |
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Development of the Senayan Square Project Continues An urban redevelopment project is underway to create a mixed-use complex on the south side of Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta. Twenty hectares (49 acres) of land were procured from the government by way of a 40-year lease, at the end of which the land and buildings must be returned to the government free of charge, under what is known as a build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme. Kajima Overseas Asia Pte. Ltd. (KOA) began the development in 1989. The shopping mall opened in 1996, followed by the first office building and twin luxury apartment towers. The project provides a lavish space where visitors can easily stroll through the facilities, escaping the bustle of the capital city. The unique feature of the project is that Kajima is handling the commercial development as well as the design and construction, and that the project is operated by Kajima's local subsidiary P.T. Senayan Trikarya Sempana. Kajima's expertise in a wide range of fields, accumulated over many years, has been harnessed to manage Senayan Square. Today, the development has such a commanding presence in the locality that the word "Senayan" now normally refers to the Shopping Center, Plaza Senayan, rather than the locality. The quality of Plaza Senayan is amply demonstrated by the numerous specialty shops, including high-end international fashion brand stores found there, and the approximately 15 million visitors per year. |
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Although political uncertainty resulted in the temporary suspension of the project, the situation stabilized under the leadership of President Yudhoyono who took office in the latter part of 2004, and project work resumed in December 2005 with the start of construction of a second office tower. The new tower will be 28 stories tall--10 stories higher than the first and neighboring office tower--with one level below ground. Kajima's Architectural Design Division produced the basic design, which was finalized by Kajima Design Asia Pte. Ltd. (KDA). P.T. Kajima Indonesia is constructing the new building, which is scheduled for completion in late 2007. The project represents the consolidation of Kajima's collective power in the southern hemisphere. |
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Kajima Acquires Design-Build Pioneer, The Austin Company The Austin Company, a 128-year-old design and construction firm in the United States, has been acquired by Kajima U.S.A. Inc. (KUSA). It was founded as a construction company in 1878 by Samuel Austin, an English carpenter, who was later joined by his son, an engineer. Together they built one of the largest and most recognizable names in the U.S. construction business. "While we are positive that this move will benefit all parties involved, we intend to operate The Austin Company with a high degree of autonomy. We fully expect that these businesses will continue to prosper and, in addition, hope to achieve considerable synergies with other KUSA companies," said Keisuke Koshijima, KUSA President and CEO. Patrick Flanagan, President of The Austin Company, added, "We plan to operate The Austin Company with the same level and quality of service that our clients have come to expect." |
| Austin pioneered design-build in the United States in 1904 and used it to develop a nationwide network of offices. It became legendary for its expertise in designing and building advanced and complex projects on accelerated schedules for many industries. Among its achievements are most of the Boeing Co.'s assembly facilities in the Seattle area, printing plants for many of the major newspapers and publications in the United States, pharmaceutical centers for The Upjohn Company (Pfizer Inc.), Abbott Laboratories Ltd., AstraZeneca PLC (U.K.), television broadcast centers, and many other industrial companies. Austin is based in Cleveland, Ohio, Atlanta, Georgia and Irvine, California. Its major current projects include a US$50 million printing/distribution facility in Florida, a US$18 million bakery in Virginia, a US$16 million bakery in Indiana, and program management of a US$200 million aerospace consolidation program on the West Coast. |
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Among Austin's leading services is facility location consulting, designed to find for clients the optimum location for a project or site. This led to many projects completed by Austin for Japanese customers in the United States, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. It includes among its clients Kikkoman Corp., Sharp Corp., Maruchan Inc. (Toyo Suisan), and Toyota Motor Corp. Austin operated an office in Tokyo from 1973 to 1993 and was the first U.S. firm to perform construction in Japan. Its work there included the baggage handling system and the cargo facility at Kansai International Airport. |
 Vol. 37 Summer 2006
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