For a valuable source on the latest currents in large-scale building projects in cities around the world — and smaller noteworthy works, too — Hajime Tanimura, principal at PEI Architects is a savvy and valuable source. The latest news from Tanimura include his work on the “twin-tower arch” in Shanghai’s Free Trade Zone, the new Three Lanes and Seven Alleys Guanglufang Hotel in Fuzhou, China, and the just-completed home of the China Institute, an educational institution for Chinese culture, set to open soon in New York. Additionally, Tanimura recently delivered a groundbreaking lecture on “Form and Formlessness.”
With PEI Architects since 1997, his projects have been seen in Architectural Record and The Architect’s Newspaper. This winter he delivered a prestigious CIMA Construction lecture in Shanghai titled “Rooted in Forms, Beyond Forms.” Arranged with his colleague architect Meng Zhang, the event was hosted by CIMA, an organization renowned for its role in bridging communication and collaboration between architects and engineers in the realm of architectural technology, played a focal role in facilitating the event.
In his lecture, the Japan-born Tanimura referenced his work on the Suzhou Museum as well as the Bank of China Free Trade Zone Towers, or FTZ Towers, tracing their evolution from the original twin towers to the iconic arched form now completing construction. “Through their intentional and symbolic connections,” says Tanimura, “architecture can transcend form to capture deeper meaning and purpose.”
About Hajime Tanimura, Architect
With over 25 years of experience in designing various building types, Tanimura has been project architect for recent notable buildings including a museum and research center in Brunei as well as iconic buildings such as the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States in Washington, D.C., the Bank of China Head Office in Beijing, and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Most recently he has been the architect responsible for the Flushing Creek Mixed Use Development in New York City, the Eutopia Museum in Taipei, and the Bank of China Tower Renovation in Hong Kong.
Image Courtesy of: PEI Architects
He is currently working on the 80-room Three Lanes and Seven Alleys Guanglufang Hotel in Fuzhou, China, and a 1 million-square-foot commercial center for Bank of China, the Haikou Jiangdong International Financial Building, located in Hainan Province.
Image Courtesy of: PEI Architects
Tanimura studied architecture at Meiji University in Kanagawa, Japan and later in advanced studies at Cornell University’s Graduate School of Architecture. At PEI Architects, he advanced recently from senior associate to Studio Director, a role that thrusts him into a key position providing design and technical guidance on all firm projects. With a keen ability to train, mentor and share his knowledge with fellow architects, Tanimura benefits from years of working on highly complex projects.
Previously, Tanimura served as a visiting faculty member at Meiji University in Kanagawa, Japan, and he worked with Arata Isozaki & Associates in Tokyo for several years in the early 1990s.
Feature Image Courtesy of: PEI Architects
