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This SHAWOOD home in Japan demonstrates the hallmarks of comfortable living with its light-filled interiors, sense of open space, and indoor/outdoor connectivity.
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The SHAWOOD system was born from a desire to meet the hopes and expectations of home owners.
SHAWOOD. Built to perform. Sekisui House entered the Japanese wooden-frame housing market in 1995, a year when the Kobe earthquake occurred, and the citizens were dealing with the aftermath of one of the worst disasters in the country’s history. Combining their experience in steel-frame construction with the attractiveness of timber, Sekisui House created “SHAWOOD” a highly advanced wooden-frame housing system with outstanding earthquake resistance and durability. SHAWOOD arose from a situation created by numerous factors coming together: not just the despair from the Kobe earthquake, but also the hopes and expectations for houses of the future. Sekisui House’s response was to spur a new evolution in housing that would build on their tradition of prioritising customer satisfaction.
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Freedom of design
The comfort factor
The compact living conditions common in Japan have brought a thorough understanding of efficient and thoughtful spatial design. Sekisui House has translated these design considerations for the larger Australian home model, providing residents with ample storage and more astutely planned spaces.
The care and attention invested into each SHAWOOD home isn’t just about the precise and detailed construction – the quality of the living experience is just as important.
The SHAWOOD construction system uses engineered laminated timber posts and beams which are combined systematically to achieve the exact and most efficient load-bearing design. Posts and beams within a typical home are subjected to varying loads. The compositions of a SHAWOOD built home are precisely designed to match these loads whilst maximising the opportunity to create double height ceilings, raked ceilings and spacious rooms with large distances between walls. These spaces can dramatically improve the ambience and comfort of a home.
Advanced materials, passive design, airtightness and draft control techniques are used to minimise energy use and greatly enhance comfort levels. SHAWOOD’s unique exterior, for instance, which comprises an advanced cavity wall system, allows the home to breathe, promoting air flow and managing moisture levels. This increased airflow delivers natural cooling during summer months and maintains stable comfort all year round.
Always evolving Data collected on the performance of SHAWOOD homes in Australia, coupled with direct feedback from customers, is communicated back to Sekisui House’s Research and Development Institute in Kyoto, Japan to assist with continuous improvements and innovations.