Integrated Development Project of SAGA Sunrise Park + Eiko Bridge + Saga City Cultural Center - West Square

長く国体の愛称で親しまれてきた国民体育大会が、「国民スポーツ大会」へと名称を変えて開かれる第1回大会が2024年10月佐賀で開催された。“体育からスポーツへ”の転換は会場整備の考え方にも貫かれ、会場は大会終了後も長く地域に親しまれる日常的なスポーツと健康の拠点として活用されることが求められた。そのためには、県と市、建築と土木、ハードとソフトといった区別にとらわれることのない未来を見据えたトータルデザインが欠かせない。SAGAサンライズパークと文化会館西側広場の外構設計を担当した大阪社会イノベーション事業部都市デザイン室の上出竜司と栄光橋の設計をメインで担当した九州交通基盤事業部構造室の野中秀一が取り組みを振り返った。

What is Public-Private Partnership (PPP)?

As it becomes more difficult to maintain public facilities and services due to financial constraints and a decline in local government employees, the government is strongly supporting the promotion of public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives as a means to solve social issues and drive a growth-oriented economy. We spoke with Takayuki Ishikawa, head of PPP Management Dept., and Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, General Manager of the Infrastructure PPP Office in the same department, about the benefits of PPP and the key to its success.

Sanjo City's Comprehensive Private Sector Outsourcing Project

Sanjo City, which has been actively promoting comprehensive private sector outsourcing for infrastructure maintenance and management, began Phase III (5-year) of outsourcing in the spring of 2024. PACIFIC CONSULTANTS has been participating as a member of the joint venture (JV) that will receive comprehensive outsourcing since Phase II (April 2019 - March 2024), which precedes this. This is the first time for a construction consultant in the country to do so. Why did the local construction companies join a mainly made up JV, and what kind of results produced? Nobutaka INAMITSU, General Manager of the Spatial Creation Sect. of Infrastructure Management Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div. who is at the center of the initiative, along with Ryo NAKAI and Masahiro MATSUOKA from the same section, explain the story.

Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsuruga Extension Project Vol.2 ~Miyama Tunnel~

The Miyama Tunnel, located just before the end of the line at Tsuruga Station, is less than 800 meters long. It is much shorter than the Shin-Hokuriku Tunnel (approximately 19.8 km) and the Kaga Tunnel (approximately 5.5 km). However, this tunnel was one of the tunnels that required particular environmental consideration in the construction of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension. Miyama is one of the water sources for the Nakaikemi Wetland - a wetland registered with Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and it was necessary to minimize the impact on the groundwater.

Why is it Regional Decarbonization Now? Toward Promotion of the Regional GX

In October 2020, the Japanese government declared its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 with zero emissions of greenhouse gas overall. A major key to achieving this goal is the "local area," where small and dispersed emission sources, such as small and medium-sized businesses and households, are concentrated. We asked Gen IKEMOTO of Social Innovation Div., GX Promotion Dept., Executive Consultant; Junichiro SAITO of Climate and Resources Policy Sec.; and Toru TSUNEOKA, also of Regional Decarbonization Sec., about how far regional decarbonization has progressed, what the challenges are, and how it should be promoted in the future.

What is Comprehensive Entrustment of Infrastructure to Private Sector?

How to protect infrastructure such as roads with limited personnel and budgets is a major issue for local governments. One promising method that is garnering attention is "Comprehensive Entrustment to Private Sector." We spoke with three people from PACIFIC CONSULTANTS who have pioneered this field and have achieved many successes: Nobutaka INAMITSU of the Spatial Creation Section, Infrastructure Management Dept., Transportation Infrastructure Div.; Kazuya MURAMATSU of the Infrastructure PPP Section, PPP Management Dept., Social Innovation Div.; and Shigeto TANAKA of the Infrastructure Management Section, Transportation Infrastructure Dept., Osaka Headquarters.

What is Green Infrastructure?

The term as green infrastructure is becoming more common. Green infrastructure is the term refers to the idea and initiatives to utilize various functions and mechanisms of nature to create rich living spaces and prepare for disasters. However, the areas covered are extremely broad, ranging from urban areas to mountainous areas, and the content of the initiatives is diverse, making it not easy to get a concrete image of what it means. We interviewed Shogo OGASAWARA, Environmental Symbiosis Dept., Social Innovation Div. about what green infrastructure is and how it can be used.

Hokuriku Shinkansen Tsuruga Extension Project Vol.1 ~ Okura Yoza Bridge ~

The Shinkansen, which travels at a speed of 260km per hour, requires extremely high precision in its bridge piers. The allowable deflection is only a few millimeters. This is why engineers who aspire to be civil engineers think, "I want to work on the Shinkansen someday." Furthermore, the Okura Yoza Bridge had to be built on soft ground with a maximum pier's height of about 30m. This was one of the most difficult projects in the long history of Shinkansen construction.

What are the BCP Measures that Will Improve a Company's Credibility?

"Is the current BCP really useful?" Anxiety is growing against the backdrop of the worsening and frequent damages caused by floods and typhoons, and the increasing urgency of large-scale earthquakes and so on. However, there are many companies that have not even reviewed their BCP since they were formulated. What and how should be reviewed to make it more practical, and what should companies consider when formulating their BCP in the future? We talked to Gou YAMAMURA, General Manager of the Resilience Promotion Sec., Disaster Prevention Dept., Digital Service Div.