Established in 1840, Kajima Corp. is one of Japan’s oldest and largest construction companies. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in the built environment sector, the company is bolstering its reputation in Singapore with its new regional headquarters, known as The GEAR.
“We have always viewed Singapore as a gateway into the region, a journey that began in 1962,” said Shuichi Oishi, CEO of Kajima Development Pte. Ltd. “Almost 10 years ago, the late Dr. Shoichi Kajima tasked us with a mission to establish our headquarters in Singapore. He admired Singapore’s blueprint for success and impeccable reputation as a business hub and thought there was no better place for us to deepen our roots in the region,” Oishi said. “We have been fortunate enough to contribute to Singapore’s infrastructure and iconic skyline.”
The GEAR: Kajima Lab for Global Engineering, Architecture & Real Estate
The grand opening of the Kajima Lab for Global Engineering, Architecture & Real Estate on Aug. 4 marks the arrival of a leading innovation hub for Asia’s built environment. The GEAR is intended to bring together startups, government bodies, corporations, universities and ecosystem enablers.
“The launch of The GEAR represents a pivotal moment with its innovative design, functional versatility and commitment to sustainability,” said Keisuke Koshijima, the executive vice president of Kajima Corp. and managing director of Kajima Asia Pacific Holdings Pte. Ltd.
“We hope to position ourselves as a trailblazer in the regional built environment landscape. Our goal is that The GEAR will serve as a center of excellence and allow us to collaborate more closely with industry stakeholders to deliver solutions that meet the evolving needs of the region. Our vision is to establish The GEAR as an innovation forge and a melting pot of culture and ideas for a global community of disruptors. By combining our heritage and experience with frontier technologies, we aim to reshape the future through our base in Singapore.”
Built environment innovators, startups and disrupters are being invited to The GEAR to foster the creation of ideas, gather insights from diverse perspectives and bring ideas to life.
“Kajima’s management has unequivocally expressed their commitment to explore ‘blue ocean’ opportunities and champion innovation,” explained Luke Wu, head of innovation at Kajima Development.
“This has long been part of our heritage, with the Kajima Technical Research Institute forming an indelible part of that identity — an industry-first research and development institute established in 1949. Today we are embracing open innovation as a core tenet of our corporate strategy,” Wu said.
“In August 2021, we established Kajima Ventures in Singapore as a stage-agnostic, mission-driven, corporate venture fund and later this year, we will be launching our first corporate accelerator program at The GEAR, where we will work with the most promising early stage startups. We believe startups with energy and creativity will have a positive impact on our culture and we want to encourage collaboration between Kajima and external partners by breaking down the barriers between us.”
www.thegear.sg
www.kajima.com.sg
