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Gonkuro and Bruno Taut on his visit to Japan
Gonkuro Kume

Gonkuro Kume studied advanced architectural technologies in Germany and established Kume Architects & Engineers in 1932. He came up with the Kume Earthquake-Resistant Wood Structure, which improved the earthquake resistance of wooden buildings in Japan, and was adopted in many buildings. His DNA of pursuing technologies and innovativeness has been handed down to us today.

Karuizawa Mampei Hotel 1935
Nikko Kanaya Hotel 1936

In the 1930s, Kokusai Kanko Hotels was established under Japan's first International Tourism Policy to welcome foreigners. They were the foundations of the resort hospitality to design buildings that makes the most out of the characteristics of the regions, and which still attract tourists today.

Suita City Senriyama Danchi Housing Complex 1955
Yokohama City Shiomidai Danchi Housing Complex 1959

In the 1950s, we put our efforts into the development of housing complexes for postwar recovery. “Let hills be hills. The best thing to do is to take advantage of landscapes as they are,” said Gonkuro Kume. His philosophy of creating enriched towns by understanding the land and utilizing existing environments has been passed down to us.

Tokyo Hilton Hotel 1963 (currently the Capitol Hotel Tokyu)

The Hilton Hotel opened its first hotel in Japan in 1963. Since then, numerous hotels that meet global standards have been built in Japan.

Chuo University, Tama Campus 1977
Sumida City Hall 1990

We constructed large public buildings that could serve as urban infrastructures around Japan. We pursued and carried out our mission to design buildings that make cities more attractive and improve people's lives.

Yebisu Garden Place 1994

The office building, hotel, commercial facilities, housing complexes, and gallery are organically connected to one another mainly in the plaza and open spaces to make an enriched town. It is still popular and bustling with activities as one of the first centripetal spots that have been developed through mixed-use development projects.

Hanoi Eco Park 2013
Shanghai Park Place 2007

Based on our previous experiences in Asia, we established new companies in China and Vietnam to provide better services. Kume Design Asia (KDA) was established in 2009 and has offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Kume Design China (KDC) was established in 2011 and has offices in Beijing and Shanghai.