Directors & Officers Profile
Directors & Officers Profile
Executive OfficerDirector of the Sapporo Office, Deputy Director of the Tokyo Office
Kazutoshi Kitahara
| March 1997 | Completed the graduate program of the Department of Architecture and Building Engineering of the Graduate School of Engineering at Tokyo Institute of Technology. |
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| April 1997 | Joined DAIKEN SEKKEI. Involved in a range of architectural design work for educational, cultural, railway, sports, administrative, and medical and welfare facilities in the Design Office, the Medical Dep., and the Design Center of the Tokyo Office. |
| April 2022 | Appointed Director of the Sapporo Office. |
Since joining DAIKEN SEKKEI, I have worked as an architectural designer and been involved in architectural design for many purposes, including government buildings, schools, hospitals, auditoriums, and train station buildings.
In the process, I learn a lot of new things and stay abreast of how facility usage patterns and operating policies are changing with the times.
Over the past several years, societal changes are happening at an accelerated pace. I am certain that architecture is at a turning point, because so much more is required of the discipline now—examples include architectural design geared toward achieving carbon neutrality, accommodating use of ICT for teleconferencing and online classes made ubiquitous by the COVID-19 pandemic, and countermeasures against infectious diseases. In these times, I am reminded of the intrinsic value of architecture. Although architecture must be functional, safe, and economical, it also contains the thoughts and feelings of many people. Indeed, there is beauty in that idea.
I have maintained the desire to give shape to this beauty and continue creating beautiful architecture. We architectural designers must have the aptitude and willingness to contribute to society by constantly absorbing new knowledge while sensing the changes of the times and maintaining a flexible mindset for the future. I intend to continue developing these attributes within myself so that I can grow further.
Major works
How I spend time away from work
When my son was in elementary school, I joined other parents and guardians in providing after-school childcare and managing soccer teams. I continue to keep in touch with the people I met during those times. We enjoy skiing, hiking, running, and other outdoor activities together, and sometimes play mahjong in the park in our neighborhood.
Before I became a parent, I enjoyed kayaking down rivers every weekend. I originally intended to take a leisurely trip down the river, but the group I joined was an athletic canoeing club!
I am challenging myself to hikes in the Japanese Alps that require staying overnight in tents.
Some fellow fathers invited me on a fishing trip in Tokyo Bay. I even bought knives for dressing fish and making sashimi.
Mahjong al fresco with some fellow fathers in the park in our neighborhood. Nothing beats an early morning alcoholic beverage over a game of mahjong.