Directors & Officers Profile
Directors & Officers Profile
Director and Executive OfficerPlant Engineering Dept. General Manager
Youzi Nakazima
| March 1988 | Completed course at Musashi Institute of Technology Graduate School Faculty of Engineering, Department of Architecture. |
|---|---|
| April 1988 | Joined DAIKEN SEKKEI At the Tokyo Office Plant Project Department, conducted structural engineering work, mainly for planet-related structures. |
| 2015 | Assumed current position as Plant Engineering Dept. General Manager |
was born in Nagano Prefecture, growing up through high school in the Ina Valley between the Japanese Southern Alps and Central Alps. When in junior high school, I witnessed the work of a relative of mine as shrine carpenter and decided to aim for architecture. Despite initially studying RC seismic walls in graduate school, since joining DAIKEN SEKKEI in 1988, I have been heavily involved in the construction of steel structures. In particular, I have often worked on steel mill construction. I think that I've made it to today through the tutelage of my highly expert client representatives and (highly individual) senior colleagues in the company. I took time away from work for 4 years at one point to act as a local assembly member, but then took my current role as Director of the Plant Engineering Department from 2015.
Companies are moving toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and the number of related designs is increasing. The field of plant architectural design has formed the backbone of our company since its inception, and we will continue to be involved in construction of the infrastructure that our society requires.
A Way of Working with “Obaitouri”
I have been involved in many overseas projects, traveling to China, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, and Mexico on steelmaking projects, to Malaysia and Russia for petrochemical plant projects, and to Egypt for meetings on desalination equipment projects. My English isn’t that good, to the point that working overseas was the one thing I did not want to do when I joined the company. Even though my English hasn’t improved, I was still happy to be sent on business trips and enjoyed the opportunity to interact with people from other cultures through work.
（Obaitouri (桜梅桃李) is a Japanese concept celebrating individuality, where each person, like the cherry, plum, peach, and apricot trees, blooms uniquely according to their own qualities and strengths.）
Structural design is my area of expertise. I always aim to earnestly approach the features and conditions required of a building and come up with better answers. When designing the expansion and renovation of the blast furnace of a steel mill, we chose to focus on the difference in the rigidity of the blast furnace making the pig iron and the supporting structure, and connected the two using dampers so as to reduce the response seismic forces on both sides.
My favorite word is "obaitori” (for the four blossoms of spring). We aim to create a workplace where everyone can excel in their own way. In the Plant Engineering Dept., our meetings (discussions) are always lively due to how close the design and structural staff sit to one another.
In my private life
In my private life, I enjoy growing fruit trees in Isumi City, Chiba Prefecture.
In addition to cherry blossoms, Japanese plum (prunus mume and prunus salicina), and peach trees, I grow yuzu, mandarins, persimmons, chestnuts, figs, blueberries, and oleaster. (Photo taken with prunus salincina tree)
Every year, I do "plum work" with the plums we pick. I make umeshu (plum wine), plum juice (and red shiso juice), and umeboshi (dried plums). Umeshu and umeboshi are said to get better with age, but when I make a good batch, they tend to get eaten (and drunk) up quickly.
