Reader Response Draft 3: Port Plus Obayashi Yokohama Training Centre
The article, “Will Pure Wooden High-Rise
Building Be a Game Changer for Decarbonisation, Obayashi Corporation’s
Challenge” by Clark (2023), examines how Obayashi Corporation employs wooden
construction to create competitive buildings with a smaller carbon footprint.
The Port Plus Obayashi Yokohama Training Centre, a showcase of the Obayashi
Company's wooden construction, uses cross-laminated timber (CLT) and laminated
veneer lumber (LVL) as key structural elements. What sets the Port Plus apart
from similar buildings is the implementation of rigid cross joints, which bind
columns and beams using glued-in rods (GIR) and a Japanese carpentry technique
known as Nuki (Port Plus, n.d.), which involves fitting a precut section of
lumber into a similarly sized hole cut on another section. Another feature of
Port Plus is the use of "O・Mega Wood" which
offers fire resistance and earthquake protection comparable to traditional
buildings that are made of concrete and steel. (Obayashi, 2016). Especially in
an earthquake-prone country like Japan, wooden construction can provide a comparable
alternative to steel and concrete. The adoption of all-wood construction is a
step towards achieving Japan's environmental goals. Clark revealed that the
government's budget allocation to support decarbonisation including funding for
the construction of Port Plus highlights the Japanese government's commitment
to its 2050 net zero emissions target (Statement by Prime Minister's Office).
Fully wooden buildings like the Port Plus is the
potential to positively impact sustainable
construction. The use of only wood can be used to reduce the environmental
impact of construction, compared to concrete and steel, without compromising
features like fire and earthquake safety. However, there is an argument to be
made that the cost of these buildings outweigh the potential benefits.
One advantage of fully wooden construction is
the reduction of carbon emissions compared to comparable concrete and steel
constructions because of the materials used. According to Bahrami et al.
(2022), wood only emits 90 kg of CO2/m3 as compared to steel, at 209 kg of
CO2/m3 and concrete at 602 kg of CO2/m3. Incidentally, the Port Plus building
emitted 1700 tonnes of CO2 less than a comparable concrete and steel building
(Port Plus, n.d.). Other than carbon emissions, using wood can also help to maintain the functions of a
forest, including water regulation against flooding, landslide prevention and
water filtration, which decline with age (Port Plus, n.d.). Morgan (2019)
reported that old forests store between 950 million to 1.11 billion metric
tonnes of carbon per year while young forests store between 1.17 to 1.66
billion metric tonnes per year. Therefore, the regular maintenance of forests allow the potential of fully wooden construction to be fully
realized.
Another advantage of fully wooden buildings like the Port Plus are
also comparable to their steel and concrete counterparts in fire and earthquake
safety. The pillars and beams in the building have a three-hour fire-resistance
certification due to their triple-layer construction (Port Plus, n.d.), which
is on par with Japanese regulations (Building Research Institute, 2011). A
full-scale model of the Port Plus was also able to survive a simulated magnitude 7 earthquake
without structural damage (Clark, 2019), where according to Rafferty (2023), a magnitude 7.0 to 7.9 on the
Richter scale is classified as "serious damage over large areas".
Hence, there are no issues with the safety of a fully wooden building like the
Port Plus.
At the same time, the cost of constructing
such buildings exceeds that of their steel and concrete counterparts. According
to Woodcentral (2023), the Port Plus costs 30% to 40% more than its
counterparts due to costly processes and the strict building criteria in Japan,
specifically in expenditures to meet anti-fire criteria. Another reason for
this price difference might be from the so called "Wood Shock" (The
Japan News, 2022) that saw lumber prices increase exponentially in Japan due to
various
factors such as the fluctuating power of the Japanese yen. As such,
the financial cost of fully wooden buildings is an
important factor to consider when planning its construction.
In conclusion, there is sufficient evidence to reason that fully wooden buildings have the potential to impact sustainable construction greatly. Even at a higher cost, comparable buildings made of wood can reduce the carbon footprint of the construction by a significant amount. In the end, it comes down to the execution and the implementation of sustainable construction practices like those from the Obayashi Company to make full use of
this technology.
(726 words)
Refrence List:
Clarke, A. (2023, November 6). Will pure wooden skyscrapers be a game changer for decarbonization, Obayashi's challenge. https://www.bloomberg.co.jp/news/articles/2023-11-06/S3DTNNT0G1KW01
OY Project. (n.d.). Port Plus. (oyproject.com)
Obayashi Corporation. (2016). Low-Cost, Long-Span Fire-Resistant Wood Construction Technology: O・Mega Wood (FR). https://www.obayashi.co.jp/chronicle/130th/en/archives/chapter4_1_6.html
Kishida, F. (2023). Statement by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at COP28 World Climate Action Summit. Statement by Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio at COP28 World Climate Action Summit (Speeches and Statements <br>by the Prime Minister) | Prime Minister's Office of Japan (kantei.go.jp)
Bahrami, A. , Olsson, M. , Svensson, K. (2022). Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Various Structural Frame Materials of Single-Family Houses in Nordic Countries. International Journal of Innovative Research and Scientific Studies, 5(2) 2022, pages: 112-120
Morgan, E (2019, February 26). New Study finds young forests have a huge climate impact. Mongabay Environmental News. https://news.mongabay.com/2019/02/new-study-finds-young-forests-have-a-huge-climate-impact/
Rafferty, J. P. (2023, December 23). Richter scale. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/Richter-scale
Woodcentral. (2023, November 6). Why Port Plus is the First of a Japanese Timber Building Surge. https://woodcentral.com.au/wood-buildings-grow-in-japan-following-trend-to-decarbonisation/
Building Research Insitute of Japan. (2011). Improving Fire Safety in Buildings. https://www.kenken.go.jp/english/contents/topics/japan-journal/pdf/jj2011aug_09-11.pdf
The Japan News. (2022, July 25). Japanese Lumber Prices Soaring Again. https://asianews.network/japanese-lumber-prices-soaring-again/
Jhariya, M.K., Yadav, D.K., Banerjee, A., Raj, A., Meena, R.S. (2019). Sustainable Forestry Under Changing Climate. In: Jhariya, M., Banerjee, A., Meena, R., Yadav, D. (eds) Sustainable Agriculture, Forest and Environmental Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6830-1_9
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