Photo/Illutration An artist’s rendering of the building that NTT Urban Development Corp. has contracted with Taisei Corp. to build in Sapporo (Provided by NTT Urban Development Corp.)

Major general contractor Taisei Corp. announced on March 16 that it will tear down a high-rise building currently under construction in Sapporo after falsified reports were made that raised safety and other concerns. 

Taisei had discovered construction problems in portions including tilting steel pillars and beams, incorrect bolts and concrete slabs of the wrong sizes.

The contractor announced on March 16 that two company directors will resign to take responsibility for the falsifications.

NTT Urban Development Corp. contracted with Taisei to construct the building, which will have two underground levels and 26 stories with tenants including shops, offices and a foreign luxury hotel.

Taisei had already finished 20 percent of the building, with completion planned for February 2024. Now, the new target date is June 2026.

On Jan. 5, NTT Urban Development officials found that the size of the bolts being used at the construction site didn’t match the size listed in the specifications.

When Taisei investigated the issue, it found that 70 parts of the building, including steel pillars and beams, were tilting.

It also found that the thickness of 245 portions of concrete slabs that were to be used as floors and for other purposes differed from that in the specifications. The difference was several millimeters on average.

The Taisei official who is responsible for construction quality control reported different figures than the measurements taken at the site to the architectural design firm that is supervising the construction work.

“The employee was anxious that construction could take longer than planned due to the coordination with other necessary work for the building,” Taisei said as the reason for the falsified reports. 

The company said that the employee “thought that several millimeters of difference in accuracy wouldn't be an issue in the construction quality.”

Taisei also said that the employee’s manager didn’t thoroughly check the individual’s work, adding that there was “no organizational involvement” by the company in the false reports.

Taisei concluded that it needed to dismantle the entire portion that is above ground since it won't meet the requirements specified in the construction contract as well as statutory standards.

The two Taisei officials who will resign are Yoshihiro Teramoto, director and senior managing executive officer, who is the head of the company’s construction operations; and Shinichi Hirajima, director and managing executive officer, who manages the company’s Sapporo branch.

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