Japan 2×4 Home Builders Association 50th Anniversary Tour
To commemorate the 50th year anniversary on the establishment of the Japan 2×4 Home Builders Association (2×4 HBA), our organization co-sponsored and led a 2×4 non-residential related tour mission to Canada to strengthen linkages between our organizations and members. The mission delegation group was in Canada from October 19to 25, included eighteen senior Japanese industry representatives from the 2×4 HBA and member companies, comprised of company presidents, directors, and managers from across Japan for the seven-day program that travelled to Edmonton, Vancouver, and surrounding regions that included collaborating partners and content below.
- Wood Frame Construction & Forestry Education: Alberta Forest Products Association, BC Council of Forest Industries, Woodworks Alberta & British Columbia, FPInnovations presentations on forestry and innovation in wood frame construction and mass timber and upgraded building codes in Canada and these two provinces.
- 2×4 Component & Truss Manufactures and Mill tours in Alberta: ACQBuilt & Star Building Components (Edmonton), and Weyerhaeuser SPF Mill (Drayton Valley).
- Construction Sites & Completed Wooden Building tours in Alberta: Streetside & Landmark Developments’ multi-family & townhomes and Fairfield by Marriott Edmonton International Airport Hotel constructed in wood.
- Construction Sites & Completed Wooden Building tours in British Columbia: Custom home builders’ single-family homes & commercial buildings, and Latimer Village Developments midrise residential & mixed commercial properties (Langley) and Brock Commons, Earth Science Centre, CIRS building, Westbrook Community, and UBC Gateway Building (UBC).
- Networking: Facilitated discussions with Canadian building professionals, technical design experts, and wood exporters.
The mission program emphasized the use of Canadian SPF dimension lumber, OSB structural panels, and other engineered wood products and assemblies (e.g., Truss, Glulam, I-beams, Midply,) in platform frame construction, safety, sustainability, and the innovation going on in mid-rise wood frame construction and mass timber construction in Canada. The key takeaways for the mission participants and feedback they provided are as follows:
Key Observations and Market Intelligence
- Japanese delegates expressed an elevated level of interest in Canada’s forest management model, especially reforestation, sustainability practices, and First Nations partnerships.
- Canada’s growing midrise platform frame construction industry was seen as highly relevant example for Japan to emulate, as it shifts toward more prefabrication with a focus on sustainable and economical wooden buildings culture.
- Tours of wood buildings and construction sites incorporating Canadian wood products and engineered wood assemblies provided tangible evidence of Canada’s technical capabilities and innovative solutions.
- Delegates noted a preference for tours of mid-rise non-residential wood buildings and construction sites and further technical engagement with architects and engineers and building professionals involved in these projects.
Japanese Mission Participant’s Feedback Highlighted
- “I now understand the economic impact of forestry and how sustainable forest management, wood processing, and the promotion of wood use in construction form a well-functioning cycle.”
- “I was overwhelmed by the sheer size and scale of the SPF dimension lumber mill and was impressed by the speed of the sorting using scanning technology and the high quality of the J-grade lumber produce in Canada destined for Japan.”
- “I was greatly encouraged by the announcement that the share of 5- to 6-story wooden buildings is steadily increasing in Canada, and that in recent years, most of these buildings are now being constructed with wood.”
- “Despite differences in regulations, construction methods, and techniques compared to Japan, I sensed the potential for building medium-to-large-scale wooden structures using wood frame construction (2×4 & Nail Plate Trusses) and it felt like glimpsing the future of wooden architecture.”
A big thank you to Global Affairs Canada and Government of Alberta who helped fund this mission and to all the support and help that we received from companies and organizations in Canada to make this a very memorable and highly educational tour for this Japanese delegation!
