Content

The February 2025 Special Issue of a+u is titled Encyclopedia of NIKKEN. Spanning 304 pages and featuring around 380 projects, this book introduces Nikken Sekkei’s ideas in an encyclopedic format. With over 3,000 members including its affiliated groups, Nikken Sekkei launched this project by exploring its design strategies. Rather than consolidating all ideas into a single, overarching strategy and discarding the rest, the focus here is on gathering unique ideas and unformed architectural concepts from each individual. These ideas were collected and categorized as NIKKEN DESIGN GOALS (NDG). The approximately 380 projects showcased in this collection reflect Nikken Sekkei’s commitment to addressing societal challenges through architecture, while also revealing the firm’s current limitations. By presenting these realities openly, this collection also aims to encourage future collaboration with external partners. It represents Nikken Sekkei’s approach to broad design, where all members—not only those in architectural design—engage in creative practice. (a+u)

Dialogue　Encyclopedia of NIKKEN
Sharing NIKKEN’s World of Ideas in Response to Societal Needs
Tomohiko Yamanashi and Hiroaki Otani Chief Design Officers of Nikken Sekkei

Goal 01│Global Environment
Zero Energy Building (ZEB)　Wood　Greenery　Water　
Air　Wind　Light　Longevity　
FACT 01-1│Understanding Our Carbon Emissions　FACT 01-2│Creating Greenery　

Goal 02│Wellness & Resilience
Enriching External Spaces　Comfortable Interior Spaces　　Designing Quietness　
Architecture Respecting Diversity　Imaginative Interior Spaces　Publicly Beneficial Resilience　
FACT 02│Designs for Well-Being & Resilience　

Goal 03│next TOD
Transit Oriented Development (TOD)　Shibuya　Mobility and Cities
FACT 03│TOD Implementation in Shibuya

Goal 04│Flexibile Design
Flexible Masterplan　Open Ground-Level Spaces
Pursuit of Universal Spaces　Flexible Systems Design
FACT 04│The Rise of the Super-Large

Goal 05│Digital Transformation
Digital Form Design　Digital Façade Design　Digital Environmental Design
FACT 05│The Digital Surge in Architectural and Urban Design

Goal 06│Conversion & Re-use
Preserving the Original 　Updating the Parts　Adding New Elements
Reuse　Avoiding Overbuilding　Constructing in Ancient Cities
Dialogue with Nature　Creating Urban Landscapes
FACT 06│Reusing Over Rebuilding

Goal 07│Regulation Design
Contributing to the City　Creating Plazas　Shapes Guided by Regulations
FACT 07│The Evolving Scope of Our Business

Goal 08│Organization Design
Spaces for Innovation　Client Collaboration　+NIKKEN
FACT 08│Managerial Employee Count & Gender Ratio

Goal 09│Global Design
Iconic / Forms　Japan Style
FACT 09│Nikken Sekkei from a Global Standpoint

Goal 10│Risk Management
Achieving High Quality in Overseas Projects
FACT 10│Global Expansion Since 2000

Goal 11│All NIKKEN Design
Engineering Supporting Global Innovation　Data Centers
Realizing Spaces with Structural Technology

Goal 12│Value Up Design
Creating Value through New Forms　Leveraging Low Costs　Branding
FACT 12│Tech Development as a Holistic Design Practice

Goal 13│Sophisticated Design
Designing from the Details　Pursuing Meticulous Beauty　　Designing through Structure
Pursuing Reinforced Concrete　Focusing on Façade Design　　Focusing on Masonry Design
FACT 13│Accolades from Within the Field

Goal 14│Design for Unpredictability
FACT 14│Designing in Hazard Areas

Goal 15│Aspirational Design

Index

English + Japanese