ARCHITECTS’ ROLES TAKEN IN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION STAGE: BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN JAPAN

Oct 23, 2026

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The study examines how architects’ roles and typical methods are carried out in building construction projects in Japan, especially as quality assurance requirements strengthen under revised legal frameworks. It addresses the shift from earlier architect-centered processes to later systems involving constructor responsibility, and analyzes gaps in role-sharing that can still lead to construction defects. The research identifies three role components—designer, design manager, and construction manager—and proposes three suggestions to align practical methods with the current legal system and improve consistency.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background of Japan’s construction processes

Legal system revisions and quality confirmation

Japanese Architects

Origins and evolution of the architect profession

Guide and Supervision model

Recognition of Constructers’ Assurance model

ARCHITECTS’ ROLES TAKEN IN DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION STAGE: BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN JAPAN Sayaka Nishino Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan [aa.nishino@archi.kyoto-u.ac.jp](aa.nishino@archi.kyoto-u.ac.jp) Shin Takamatsu Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan [takamatu@archi.kyoto-u.ac.jp](takamatu@archi.kyoto-u.ac.jp) Shuzo Furusaka Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan [furusaka@archi.kyoto-u.ac.jp](furusaka@archi.kyoto-u.ac.jp) In former days, the high quality buildings were realized constantly in the construction projects participated in by the architects in Japan. Today, while the legal system has been enacted to ensure the further quality confirmation, there occur many construction defects. First purpose of this study is to show the architects’ roles and the typical methods taken in the projects participated in by the architects. Second one is to consider how consistent such methods are under the present legal system and how to make use of such methods. The following are the main findings. Firstly, the former architects took three parts of roles in the projects participated in by the architects. They are a designer, a design manager and a construction manager. Secondly, there are three issues to make use of such architects ’practice in today’s situations. We also show three suggestions to confront the issues under the present legal system. KEYWORDS: architect, constructor, drawings and specifications, communication. INTRODUCTION In Japan, the high quality buildings have been built in the design-build process by general contractors and the traditional process, in which separate organizations take design and execution of the work, and so on. In the traditional process, Ministries, Offices and local government might take design as public works. Design firms might take design too. Many high quality buildings have been realized in the projects participated in by the architects too. How were such projects progressed concretely? On the other hand, in recent years, the Structural Documents Scam Issue happened and then the Building Standards Law and the Kenchiku-shi Law were revised. A Kenchiku-shi is a designer or a building engineer who has a national qualification. By the Kenchiku-shi Law, he/she has the exclusive rights of designing and Kouji-Kanri. Kouji-Kanri is, as defined by the law, to check the executed works with drawings and specifications and to confirm whether the works are executed according to the drawings and specifications. In actual services/tasks, Kouji-Kanri is a concept which includes ‘supervise’ and ‘inspect’ in the U.S.A. and the U.K. The No. 15 bulletin of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism was put out in January, 2009 as revision of the No. 1206 bulletin of the Ministry of Construction put out in July, 1979. Such bulletins were aimed at providing the standards of fees for service of kenchiku-shi. Thus, it has been tried to make the legal system more orderly (Hirano and Furusaka, 2008) . However, there are gaps in sharing of roles and responsibilities and defects in quality (Furusaka and Hirano, 2008) although the systems of sharing of roles and responsibilities and quality confirmation have become more strictly. This may not be the only way to confirm quality of buildings. It is also necessary to study the methods of quality confirmation in the projects participated in by the architects. This study has two aims. First one is to show the architects’ roles and typical methods taken in the former projects participated in by the architects in Japan. Second one is to consider how consistent such methods are under the present legal system, which have gotten more strictly and how to recognize such methods. JAPANESE ARCHITECTS In Japan, until the Edo era, the design-build process by a master builder of wooden construction was the main project delivery system (Hashimoto, 1995) . The master builders pulled carpenters together, and built houses, temples and shrines

FAQs

What are the paper’s two main research aims?

First, it presents architects’ roles and typical methods used in former Japanese construction projects. Second, it analyzes how consistently these methods fit the current, stricter legal system and how they should be recognized.

Which three role parts did earlier architects take in construction projects?

Earlier architects took three parts of roles: designer, design manager, and construction manager.

How did the architects’ service model change over time in Japan?

The model moved from “Guide and Supervision,” where architects oversaw execution because constructors lacked modern-architecture knowledge, to “Recognition of Constructers’ Assurance,” where architects recognize the outcomes of constructor-managed site work while performing design and Kouji-Kanri.

Oct 23, 2026

Upload by asba