Playing soccer while I was a student, I had the opportunity to visit many fields and was interested in sports facilities. I entered the company in 2007 with the dream of "being involved in stadium construction at Takenaka, which had worked on many domes and stadiums in Japan, including Tokyo Dome."
Thirteen years has passed since I was in charge of construction management work at the Tohoku Branch Office. During that time, I have been involved in construction of a wide range of buildings such as offices, universities, libraries, hospitals, factories, etc. for a variety of customers in six Tohoku prefectures. This has also included reconstruction work for the Great East Japan Earthquake. I have attempted to capture the passion of our customers and other stakeholders with each unique architectural work, and undertake their projects with sincerity and great care.
Scene of rebar arrangement inspection (Nitadori on the left)
In order to smoothly operate a worksite, it is indispensable to collaborate with various stakeholders such as the customer, designers, government offices, the neighborhood, partner companies, etc., so communication skills are very important. Growing up in a lively environment with five younger siblings, I have always been confident in my communication abilities. For several years after entering the company, however, I received more than a little guidance from senior employees about the way I spoke and conducted myself, and I have continued to work on improvement.
As I gained experience, I noticed something. In the past when presenting construction schedules to workmen, I would unilaterally impose my own examination results, but nowadays I have them look at the draft I made, and we discuss it until both sides are satisfied with each other. "Staying in close contact with other parties and being persistent with continued dialog," I am convinced that good relationships born thereof will be the driving force for us to move forward together toward our goal of leaving the best works to future generations.
Topping out ceremony: All stakeholders coming together as one to proceed with construction.
A medical facility customer gave me the instruction, "I want you to think of yourself as a user," for example with railings in corridors and toilets. Slight differences in height and dimensions can make a huge difference in usability, and this plays an extremely important role for people with physical disabilities. On occasion, the toilet paper holder can be an obstacle to using a handrail.
Through this guidance, I noticed that the attitude required by a construction manager was one that assumes a usage situation from the user's perspective and then to personally confirm this. I suddenly realized that there had been times in my youth when I had been instructed by the site manager to "manage construction using my five senses."
Digressing a little, but the customer was worried about my long commutes in the snow and suggested that I stay in its dormitory. I think that my daily words and actions had reached the customer's heart, and in doing so, I was able to build a good personal relationship. It was a very happy experience that filled me with pride.
Party with my superiors, who at times were strict at other times warm, but looked after my growth.
(November 2009: Nitadori on the right)
Having FM (facility management) experience with maintaining and preserving completed buildings, I am always conscious of making a building "long-lasting, trouble free, and comfortable to use" for the customer after satisfying design, cost and schedule issues. In doing so, the first step is to strive toward a "facilitator role" in order to discuss and build equitable relations with the customer, the designer and partner companies.
Before the start of construction, there may places in the design drawings that are weak points in terms of usability and maintenance. For example, vital function rooms, such as the guard rooms and central control rooms, are equipped with distribution boards and transformer equipment. If by any chance water leakage were occurred, equipment would malfunction, and the building would not be able to maintain its functions. For that reason, water supply and drainage pipes should not be located in or above such rooms, or if unavoidable, it is necessary to take measures such that equipment will not be affected by any water leakage.
Then, such concerns may have not been considered in drawings by other design companies. Accordingly, I believe that one of my roles as an architectural professional is to inform the customer of such risks and take preventive measures together with the designer.
I was interested in seeing how a building would look after handover, so I attended an event at a wine factory where we had performed a renovation. When seeing the smiles and excitement of the many visitors as well as the customer, I realized that "long-term, trouble free, and comfortable to use" was the correct stance, while at the same time I felt a real sense of accomplishment.
A winery harvest festival bustling with many visitors
I am currently in charge of a large two-year project to integrate the campus of my alma mater, Tohoku Gakuin University. Filled with gratitude for the rare opportunity to be in charge of construction at my alma mater, I intend to pour all of my experience to date into this project to make buildings that the many classmates who will come after me can take pride in and that will become symbols of the town. From now on, I would like continue striving to be the best I can be and contribute to turning stakeholder dreams into reality by not compromising in making unique buildings, such that no two are the same.
Scene of groundbreaking ceremony at my alma mater (the Chairman of Tohoku Gakuin on stage)