Moen Wood makes inroads in Japan construction market

The system, called Moen Wood, was developed by one of Japan’s largest construction companies Takenaka Corporation and it has been used to build Japan’s first large fire-resistant wooden commercial facility in Yokohama, says the newspaper.

In total some nine buildings have been constructed using Moen Wood and a further seven are being planned.

Moen Wood is the result of a long research project into giving wooden structures high levels of fire resistance and is seen as a route to building higher buildings in wood.

Beams and columns consist of a structural glulam core incorporating metal hardware connections to maintain high structural performance. A fire-resistant layer of mortar surrounds this core protecting the glulam and metal connections, with a surface layer of wood to maintain the exterior timber aesthetics and provide a further protecting charring layer.

Takenaka can trace its roots back to 1610 and on its website claims to be the oldest company of its type anywhere in the world.