At Kume Sekkei, we work on a wide range of architectural designs based on the three principles we inherited from our founder.
Since its establishment, Kume Sekkei has delivered numerous results in redevelopment projects to build complexes and other facilities in a large area based not only on the problem-solving skills we have as a one-stop company whose operations include designing and planning, as well as development, but also on the design philosophy of our founder Gonkuro Kume. We have designed various types of projects from the perspective of urban development to vitalize people, by varying the layout of the buildings, giving distinct expressions on the exteriors and landscapes, improving the living environment, designing buildings that grow out of the ground in accordance with the natural topography, and placement of residential buildings that do not go against the contour lines. This philosophy has been applied to our recent urban development projects which helped to create their unique and diverse characters.
Japan is a country prone to many natural disasters, such as typhoons, torrential rains, floods, volcanic eruptions, and massive earthquakes. As an architectural design firm in such a country, we have a mission and responsibility to create safe and secure shelters. In addition, if we consider buildings as assets, it is important that they keep functioning during and after disasters not only to protect the lives of people but also to maintain their own value. Thus, at Kume Sekkei, we have developed our private brand architectural design standard called Life Continuity Building (LCB). LCB consists of three elements: preventing buildings from getting destroyed and killing people; preventing non-structural members from getting destroyed, fall, or injure people; and medium- to long-term self-sufficient securement of lifelines when public utilities are disrupted.
In addition, we have been using our own internal standards since 2011 that set the general minimum level of earthquake resistance strength at 1.3, which is higher than the 1.0 level specified in the Building Standards Law for all the buildings Kume Sekkei designs. We also design buildings that must continue to function, such as government buildings, hospitals, schools, and shelters, at the earthquake resistance level of 1.5 as LCB brand buildings.
Some of the famous early projects that Kume Sekkei worked on include many resort hotels, such as the Karuizawa Mampei Hotel, Nikko Kanaya Hotel, and Kawaguchiko Fujiya Hotel. On the other hand, we built a strong track record of achievement by focusing on people's lifestyles and designing housing complexes in the postwar period. What is common among these projects is that hospitality is essential. We must keep up with changing times, focus on people's lifestyles, and give first priority to healing and comfort. These stance towards hospitality is part of Kume Sekkei's design DNA that continues to this day.
