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Osaka Timber Association Building

Preserving forests and serving society:a more balanced approach to urban development
Takenaka Corporation’s vision for the cities of tomorrow
Forests cover two-thirds of Japan’s land area, yet today they are suffering.
Forestry is in decline, and without proper forest management, trees and theundergrowth beneath can die off, leading to soil erosion, landslides, and otherenvironmental problems. Without effective action, the beauty and bounty ofJapan’s mountains and nature will continue to be at risk.
Takenaka Corporation takes this threat seriously, and as a company thathas been involved in wooden architecture for over four centuries, it is deeplycommitted to the goal of achieving a sustainable society. To find out how thecompany is using its experience and technology to help preserve Japan’snatural forests and build the cities of the future, we spoke with Hiroyuki
Matsuzaki, Managing Director of Takenaka’s Wooden Architecture Promotion
Department.

Left: Hiroyuki Matsuzaki
Managing Director
Wooden Architecture
Promotion Department
Right: Osaka TimberAssociation Building

Takenaka’s “Grand Cycle” for forest
preservation and urban development
Takenaka traces its origins to 1610, and we havebeen involved in the design and construction ofwooden structures for over 400 years. So we areunderstandably concerned about the current state ofJapan’s forests and forestry industry, and we want toassist local communities that currently face forestry
issues. Our “Grand Cycle”* initiative was conceived tohelp us achieve these goals — to revitalize the nation’sforests and forestry industry by boosting demand forlarge-scale wooden construction projects in urban
areas. Linking forests and urban communities, we want
to integrate forests and forestry resources into people’s
lives in a dynamic way.
In addition, we also have the larger goal of cutting CO2emissions to address global warming and achieve asustainable society. That is why we want to encourage
the use of wood, since it is a recyclable resource
whose responsible use can actually help to reduce
CO2 emissions. Wooden architecture has garnered
increased attention in recent years, with more woodenbuildings being constructed in Europe and other places
around the world. At Takenaka — based in Japan
where two-thirds of the land is covered in forest — westrive to be a leading wooden architecture company.

Sharing the wonder of wood withcities and generations to comeAs a construction material, wood boasts excellent
insulating and humidity-buffering properties. Perhaps
even more importantly, the natural warmth and feelof wood can have a positive effect on people, andeven be beneficial to human health. At Takenaka, it is
our wish to bring all the goodness of wood to places
where people come together. One example of this is
Ariakenishi Gakuen, a school we are currently buildingin Tokyo's Koto Ward. We believe that if children are

exposed to the warmth of wood at an early age, they
will naturally come to love wooden buildings andnature in general, and grow up to become kinder, moresensitive adults.

relaxing atmosphere and ability to alleviate the stressthat many patients experience during treatment.

Bringing the benefits of woodto urban environments

Another of our technologies is earthquake-resistance.
Retrofitting existing buildings for earthquake resistancegenerally requires the incorporation of a steel frame
brace. T-FoRest Light is an alternative technologythat uses wood instead of steel, resulting in a moreaesthetically pleasing​appearance. T-FoRest wallcomponents provide a level of strength nearly equal
to ferroconcrete earthquake-resistant walls, and canbe retrofitted to existing buildings to provide the dual
advantages of earthquake resistance and a warm,
comfortable atmosphere.

Moen-Wood
One of the products we developed to apply thebenefits of wood to urban construction is MoenWood, a type of fire-resistant laminated lumber thattakes its name from a colloquial form of the Japaneseword moenai, which means, "does not burn." It is
made from larch, cedar, and cypress harvested fromforests throughout Japan, and is composed of a loadbearing central core of laminated wood surrounded bystop-layer mortar and a self-charring surface layer oflaminated wood that is designed to carbonize in theevent of a fire, effectively insulating the load-bearing
core from heat. As a result, Moen-Wood has earned
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
certification for one hour of fire resistance as stipulated
under the Building Standards Act, enabling it to be
used to construct the top four floors of any building.
As of July 2017, six fire-resistant wooden buildings
have been built with Moen-Wood. The first was
the Osaka Timber Association Building, which wascompleted in 2013. Currently used as an officebuilding, it features Moen-Wood columns and beams,
and an abundance of wood in walls and floors.
Although it has been four years since this warm,
comfortable building was constructed, one can still
smell the pleasant aroma of wood upon entering.
Shinkashiwa Clinic, a dialysis clinic in Kashiwa City,
Chiba, was built in 2016. By using Moen-Wood columns
and beams to construct the dialysis rooms, we wereable to create a spacious and comfortable environmentthat has been praised by patients and staff for its

T-FoRest Series

Both Moen-Wood and the T-FoRest series have been
widely acclaimed and earned numerous awards,
including the Global Environmental Forum’s prestigious
Eco Products Award.

Open standards to promote
faster, broader adoption
To speed adoption of advanced wooden construction
technologies, we are proposing an open standard forMoen-Wood and T-FoRest series products. We believe
Moen-Wood technology can be improved even more,
and intend to share information on further advancesand other newly developed technologies to help
spread their adoption worldwide.

Exploring wood’s potential:
a new vision for the future
Moen-Wood has already been certified capable ofwithstanding flame for a period of one hour, and weare working to achieve the two-hour mark within thisyear. Once certified at the two-hour level, it will bepossible to create structures of up to fourteen stories,
greatly expanding the range of wooden buildings thatThe AT-Group
Head Office,North Building,built using
Moen-Woodcolumns andbeams.

Left: Hiroyuki Matsuzaki
Managing Director
Wooden Architecture
Promotion Department
Right: Osaka Timber
Association Building

Takenaka’s “Grand Cycle” for forest
preservation and urban development
Takenaka traces its origins to 1610, and we havebeen involved in the design and construction ofwooden structures for over 400 years. So we areunderstandably concerned about the current state ofJapan’s forests and forestry industry, and we want toassist local communities that currently face forestry
issues. Our “Grand Cycle”* initiative was conceived tohelp us achieve these goals — to revitalize the nation’s
forests and forestry industry by boosting demand forlarge-scale wooden construction projects in urban
areas. Linking forests and urban communities, we want
to integrate forests and forestry resources into people’slives in a dynamic way.
In addition, we also have the larger goal of cutting CO2
emissions to address global warming and achieve asustainable society. That is why we want to encourage
the use of wood, since it is a recyclable resource
whose responsible use can actually help to reduce
CO2 emissions. Wooden architecture has garnered
increased attention in recent years, with more woodenbuildings being constructed in Europe and other places
around the world. At Takenaka — based in Japan
where two-thirds of the land is covered in forest — westrive to be a leading wooden architecture company.

Sharing the wonder of wood withcities and generations to comeAs a construction material, wood boasts excellent
insulating and humidity-buffering properties. Perhaps
even more importantly, the natural warmth and feelof wood can have a positive effect on people, andeven be beneficial to human health. At Takenaka, it is
our wish to bring all the goodness of wood to places
where people come together. One example of this is
Ariakenishi Gakuen, a school we are currently buildingin Tokyo's Koto Ward. We believe that if children areexposed to the warmth of wood at an early age, they
will naturally come to love wooden buildings andnature in general, and grow up to become kinder, moresensitive adults.

relaxing atmosphere and ability to alleviate the stressthat many patients experience during treatment.

Bringing the benefits of woodto urban environments

Another of our technologies is earthquake-resistance.
Retrofitting existing buildings for earthquake resistancegenerally requires the incorporation of a steel frame
brace. T-FoRest Light is an alternative technologythat uses wood instead of steel, resulting in a moreaesthetically pleasing​appearance. T-FoRest wallcomponents provide a level of strength nearly equal
to ferroconcrete earthquake-resistant walls, and canbe retrofitted to existing buildings to provide the dual
advantages of earthquake resistance and a warm,comfortable atmosphere.

Moen-Wood
One of the products we developed to apply thebenefits of wood to urban construction is MoenWood, a type of fire-resistant laminated lumber thattakes its name from a colloquial form of the Japaneseword moenai, which means, "does not burn." It is
made from larch, cedar, and cypress harvested fromforests throughout Japan, and is composed of a loadbearing central core of laminated wood surrounded bystop-layer mortar and a self-charring surface layer oflaminated wood that is designed to carbonize in theevent of a fire, effectively insulating the load-bearing
core from heat. As a result, Moen-Wood has earned
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
certification for one hour of fire resistance as stipulated
under the Building Standards Act, enabling it to be
used to construct the top four floors of any building.
As of July 2017, six fire-resistant wooden buildings
have been built with Moen-Wood. The first was
the Osaka Timber Association Building, which wascompleted in 2013. Currently used as an officebuilding, it features Moen-Wood columns and beams,
and an abundance of wood in walls and floors.
Although it has been four years since this warm,
comfortable building was constructed, one can still
smell the pleasant aroma of wood upon entering.
Shinkashiwa Clinic, a dialysis clinic in Kashiwa City,Chiba, was built in 2016. By using Moen-Wood columns
and beams to construct the dialysis rooms, we wereable to create a spacious and comfortable environmentthat has been praised by patients and staff for its

T-FoRest Series

Both Moen-Wood and the T-FoRest series have been
widely acclaimed and earned numerous awards,
including the Global Environmental Forum’s prestigious
Eco Products Award.

Open standards to promote
faster, broader adoption
To speed adoption of advanced wooden construction
technologies, we are proposing an open standard forMoen-Wood and T-FoRest series products. We believe
Moen-Wood technology can be improved even more,
and intend to share information on further advancesand other newly developed technologies to help
spread their adoption worldwide.

Exploring wood’s potential:
a new vision for the future
Moen-Wood has already been certified capable ofwithstanding flame for a period of one hour, and weare working to achieve the two-hour mark within thisyear. Once certified at the two-hour level, it will bepossible to create structures of up to fourteen stories,
greatly expanding the range of wooden buildings that

The AT-Group
Head Office,North Building,built using
Moen-Woodcolumns andbeams.

can be built to meet the needs of our increasingly
urbanized world.
But there are still many issues that need to beaddressed. Large-scale wooden architecture differsfrom steel and concrete architecture in many ways, andrequires special technologies to ensure the integrityof joints and other components. We therefore need todevelop new methods of calculation and assessment
for each specific joint connection methodology and themetals employed. These are significant architectural
challenges, and are one of the reasons for the relatively
slow rate at which large-scale wooden buildings arebeing constructed. That is why it is essential that wecollaborate and license technologies on a global scale,and ensure that these initiatives are linked to global
warming countermeasures and CO2 reduction.
The economic viability of large-scale woodenarchitecture also demands a reexamination of ourwood material supply chain, including what types ofwood are used and where and how they are harvested.
Without engagement in the material production
process, large-scale wooden architecture is animpossibility. The current supply chain is essentiallya system designed to serve residential architecture,
so in order to achieve the goal of large-scale woodenarchitecture, we must address the issue of cost, anddevelop a new supply chain to meet our needs.

Above: The Shinkashiwa Clinic is just one example of the largescale wooden buildings that can be constructed using MoenWood columns and beams.
Below: Moen-Wood columns and beams create a spacious
and comfortable environment for dialysis patients at theShinkashiwa Clinic.

New methods require
new ways of thinking
Wood is a natural material, and is subject to the effectsof the environment in which it is used. Although there
are some temples and shrines in Japan that havesurvived for over a thousand years, this is primarily
due to the regular maintenance they have received.
In today’s world, however, market forces demandthat buildings be as maintenance-free as possible.
Although wood offers unique advantages with respect
to vibration and sound insulation, buildings constructedof wood must also offer their occupants a high levelof safety and peace of mind. To make large-scale
wooden architecture a reality — and to create a truly
sustainable society for the future — manufacturers
and customers must both develop a new mindset,
and think about issues such as maintenance andhabitability in new ways. At Takenaka, we continually
strive to reassess our way of thinking, and tocommunicate our ideas to the public we serve.

Below left: Moen-Wood is composed of a load-bearing central
core of laminated wood surrounded by stop-layer mortar and aself-charring surface layer of laminated wood.
Below right: Special technologies are used for joints to ensurehigh structural integrity.

* Takenaka’s “Grand Cycle” initiative takes its name from theoriginal forestry cycle of plant-grow-harvest-use, as well as thelarger resource and economic cycle that links the forestry industry,
regional revitalization, community building, and construction.

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www.takenaka.co.jp