This is a project of a new timber processing plant for precut lumber designed by Aida sekkei Co.,Ltd., one of the leading house builders who specializes in traditional Japanese timber construction.Although Japan is blessed with forest resources, in contemporary construction wooden structures have not been used for buildings other than small houses. However in recent years the government has promoted the timbering of medium- and large-scale buildings through legislation and the demand for timber as a building material is rapidly increasing.The planned site in Bando City is a place where forest resources are abundant despite being near Tokyo. It is conveniently located as a node of the expressway network in the Tokyo metropolitan area which was a decisive factor in its selection as the site for the new construction. The plant plays an essential role in providing high quality houses. Its design concept is all about “creating an architecture which embodies the series of timber processing”
In other words, the concept is to visualize the simple process of lumber production: cutting out necessary parts from high grade laminated timber under strict control of sawing accuracy while minimizing material wasted. The whole design of the plant represents the house builder’s sophisticated precut method, namely the excellent quality of their housing, thoroughly showcased in its exterior and interior details. The idea of this architectural design was to manifest the corporate identity of Aida sekkei Co.,Ltd. and to deliver the inspiration for its future. In order to do so, several portions of mass were moved slightly from huge mass of 130 meter by 100 meter by 10 meter to create subtle contrast in space. While being quite simple and practical space layout, this method enables each space to function as viewing aisle, truck berth with deep and wide canopy, office, etc.　As for the office, which is the face of the plant, we created one large space by building scissor truss using members of smaller cross section (30 mm by 120mm size lumber used as supplementary member such as wall stud of a home). 120mm square Japanese cypress pillars are placed every 303 mm of the wall and to construct load bearing walls, a 30 mm thick cedar board was inserted between the pillars. All of the wooden elements in the office being left bare, they also serve as display for the house builder’s technique of precut in showroom.Almost 100 meters long viewing aisle encased in random stripe wooden shell is cantilevered and appears as if it floats from the factory building wall. The aim of the impressive façade design with a sense of acceleration and speed is to provoke the image of Aida sekkei’s further evolution towards the future.