Unlocking the potential of forests with carbon fiber

Teijin has developed the "LIVELY WOOD", a hybrid construction material made of carbon fiber and wood, by applying its expertise in fiber reinforcement technology to wood. Here is a story of Satoshi Nagase, Alliance Management Department, Teijin Ltd, who strives to solve issues intertwined with the environment, economy and architecture with "LIVELY WOOD".

It started to save our forests with carbon fiber.

Approximately 67% of Japan's land area is forest, 18% of which is an artificial cedar forest. It is not uncommon for cedar to be abandoned, because its low rigidity is difficult to use as a structural material for buildings, and demand has been lost to imported wood that is cheaper and has better properties. As a result, the Japan's wood self-sufficiency rate in 2019 was 37.8% in spite of the governmental initiative to raise wood self-sufficiency rate to 50% or more.

This situation led Satoshi to set the use of wood as one of his themes and he took on the challenge to develop solutions. The solution he has developed is "LIVELY WOOD", a hybrid construction material made of carbon fiber and wood.

Stepping into the frontier in collaboration with the likely minded partners

Reinforcing wood with carbon fiber was almost new to Teijin and Satoshi had little knowledge of wood, construction methods, or architectural design at that time. "We decided to conduct joint research with various partners, including universities and external companies. Using the know-how gained through this process, we added our core competence in reinforcing technology using fibers, and completed a laminated wood composite of cedar and carbon fiber." recalls Satoshi. The laminated wood, later named "LIVELY WOOD", is lightweight yet has more than twice the rigidity of wood. We also succeeded in dramatically increasing the degree of freedom in design, such as by making it possible to create an open space without beams or columns using a wooden structure.

However, just because a good new material has been created does not mean it will be immediately accepted. In the strictly regulated construction industry, material supplier is required to clearly demonstrate how the new material can be used and whether it complies with the Building Standards Act. Being complete amateurs when it comes to the law, we were not quite sure how "LIVELY WOOD" would fit into the Building Standards Act, which is based on three traditional materials: steel, concrete, and wood. Satoshi says, "When I was at a loss, the Japan Building Center, a legally designated verification and inspection organization, offered me support with the aim of expanding the use of wood, by recognizing new technologies.

Teijin builds a house to demonstrate the "LIVELY WOOD".

"With the project in full swing, we decided to take something a little bold. I actually decided to build a building using "LIVELY WOOD" ", says Satoshi. The project was nominated as one of our 100-year anniversary projects and the house, called "LIVELY HOUSE" was unveiled as the world's first building using "LIVELY WOOD" at the 100-year anniversary event back in 2018. "LIVELY HOUSE" went even further and won the Encouragement Award at the Wood City TOKYO Model Architecture Award in 2019. Satoshi adds, "Although I am still in the early stages, I would like to make this business a reality and repay the opportunity I received".

What is in store

"The ultimate goal is to change society. Wooden buildings that were previously unthinkable will be built in cities, forests will come back to life, and local economy will flourish. It may be a long time before it becomes a reality, but I am passionate about that vision" says Satoshi.

Towards this end, he is now working on a story for "LIVELY WOOD" itself to be recognized as a standard construction material and to establish and popularize a construction method that further brings out the performance of "LIVELY WOOD".

Would you be interested in "Lively Wood"? Feel free to contact us!