Eye on Platform Frame Construction: Expanding Non-Residential Knowledge

By: Kevin Bews

SPF Manager, Canada Wood Japan

Looking to build on our past 50 years of success, and further expand non-residential wood buildings in Japan, last year Canada Wood and COFI staff began working together with a sub-committee working group within the Japan Federation of Construction Contractors (JFCC) named the “Working Team for Promotion of Wooden and Wood Construction”. The JFCC is one of the leading industry associations in the construction field, and its purpose is to promote the sound development of the construction industry in Japan and is composed of approximately 150 general contractors (developers and construction companies) operating nationwide. We first met members of this sub-committee in January 2024, when we went there together with, and introduced them to the Japan Two Japan 2×4 Home Builders Association. The purpose of this initial visit was to familiarize our organizations to the sub-committee members as well as innovative Canadian wood structural assemblies like Platform Frame Construction (PFC), Nail Plate Trusses (NPT), Midply Wall System (MPW), and Nail Laminated Timber (NLT) that are manufactured and built with Canadian dimension lumber and OSB structural panels products.

Most recently, our organization invited and arranged for its sub-committee’s members to visit and tour Shirakawa Tekko’s new company office going up in Isesaki City, Gunma Prefecture on January 14, 2025. The objective being to highlight an industry first – a well-designed energy efficient 2-storey wood building being constructed using platform frame construction method and premanufactured roof and floor nail plate trusses. The office building, scheduled to be completed later this year has a total floor area of 1,446 m² is being constructed using SPF and Douglas fir dimension lumber, walls sheathed with OSB, and the floors and roof sheathed with plywood. At the beginning of the tour, the design and construction team for this building gave a presentation and overview of wood structure and outlined the advantages for constructing these types of building using the two-by-four construction method and nail plate trusses.

The feedback we received from the six sub-committee members that participated was positive, with one member stating, “I learned a lot by being able to see the 2×4 construction process in an actual building. “Last year, you explained it to us, but when you actually see it with your own eyes, I was very impressed.” In addition, yet another member commented “It was a very meaningful visit as I had never had the opportunity to see such a wooden building system.” “There were fewer metal hardware connectors than I expected, and I thought the building cost was quite advantageous as well.”

As the saying goes, “seeing is believing” and these site visits provides a much-needed platform for us to communicate information and to transfer on site construction knowledge to other building industry professionals in Japan. As such our organization would very much like to thank Shirakawa Tekko Co., Ltd., Meister House Co., Ltd., and R-FRAME Co., Ltd. for opening their project’s doors and co-hosting this construction site visit and tour on behalf of our industry, and opening the doors for the next 50 years of success in Japan.