Several 1.000-year-old Buddhist temples and shrines built of wood are surviving in Nara, some areas of which are inscribed on the World Heritage List. These old buildings are indicative of excellent timber construction technology having existed in ancient Japan, though it is thought that such technology has not been handed down. This paper introduces one of large-scale wood buildings built in recent years that satisfy basic performance requirements for resistance to earthquake, wind load and snow load as well as to meet, over a long period, complex and multi-functional requirements for fire-resistance, sound insulation and energy conservation. The Hakkoda Hotel of a large-scale wood structure is a good example of these buildings and is discussed here, focusing on its preservation technology. Many considerations were given to wood preservation to ensure 100-year-long durability of the building, including selection of wood materials, less reliance on chemical preservatives, design details of wood members to secure drainage of rainwater retained in the members, joint methods of wood members, inspection and maintenance. It has been assured at its 10th year inspection that the building will last another 100 years.

Download document (751 kb)
free for the members of IRG. Available if purchased.

Purchase this document