Obayashi history

1902 The company opens an office in Tokyo.

1911 Tokyo Station, then the largest steel structure in Japan, is completed.

After completing construction projects for the Osaka Port and the Fifth National Industrial Exhibition, in 1914 Obayashi Corporation went on to build Tokyo Central Station (present-day Tokyo Station), which enabled the Company to demonstrate its technological capabilities on the national stage.

When the Great Kanto Earthquake struck Tokyo in 1923, Tokyo Station remained unharmed, winning the Company the great confidence of customers.

Founded in 1932 in San Francisco, Moore & Roberts was formed during the depths of the Great Depression by Gene Moore and Jim Roberts.

In 1956, for example, the Singapore government tapped Obayashi to complete a major land reclamation project.

1961 The company develops Wet Screen technology for building concrete walls.

Obayashi also has an established record outside of Japan, dating back to 1962 when the Company became the first Japanese general contractor to take on an overseas construction project.

Thai Obayashi actually evolved from a small Obayashi Corporation's representative office in Bangkok, which was opened in 1964 for the supervision of the construction of AlA headquarters.

The East Coast Reclamation project began in 1965 and was Obayashi’s first major overseas civil engineering project in Singapore.

In 1970, the company also introduced a new lightweight roofing design.

A series of successful collaborations led to a merger in 1978, thus formalizing the new entity of James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corporation.

The Company later moved into the United States, and in 1979 became the first Japanese construction company to win an order from the San Francisco City Government to build a sewer system.

That project, which ultimately involved transporting more than eight square miles of land, was finally completed in 1984.

Upon completion of the 20 year project in 1985, a total of 1,114 hectares (1.8% of Singapore’s land mass) had been reclaimed.

1989 E.W. Howell in the United States is acquired; a subsidiary is formed in The Netherlands.

Since celebrating its 100th anniversary in 1991, Obayashi has continued to participate in major projects.

1995 The company builds the Maghna Gunmti Bridge in Bangladesh.

In Japan, the company remained a leading player in both civil engineering and architectural sectors, completing projects such as the Maiko Tunnel in Hyogo Prefecture in 1997.

2002 The company completes Kobe Wing Stadium, the Rappongi Hills Gate Tower, and the NHK Osaka Broadcasting Station and Osaka Museum of History complex.

2003 A subsidiary is formed in order to diversify into energy services market in Japan.

In 2005, for example, the company introduced new technology designed the reduce the impact of vertical earthquakes on building structures by as much as 75 percent.