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Forum for Wood Architecture
The Forum for Wood Architecture is an NPO which aims to restructure our living environment by placing special emphasis on the cyclical use of timber resources in buildings
We are seeking to promote greater use of wood, which is an environmentally friendly and recyclable natural resource, in order to help create a more comfortable and sustainable living environment.
Learning from the deep wisdom and technical skills of our forbears, we would like to put forward proposals for new ways of using wood in architecture and recreate a way of life in which wood plays a prominent role.
Fortunately, the need for an approach to forest management that strikes a balance between the protection of the environment and the provision of wood as a natural resource is now widely appreciated. Moreover, natural building materials have come to be more highly thought of and social perceptions of wood architecture are moving in an increasingly positive direction.
However as a result of amendments to the Japanese building codes and the enactment of a new law concerning the quality of materials, there is a social requirement for wood architecture to be more scientific and to guarantee high product performance.
In the light of this, concrete actions of the following kind seem to us necessary, in order to promote a lifestyle of high quality which can nevertheless coexist harmoniously with the natural environment:
- The provision of accurate up to date information and practical technical data about wood
- The promotion of safe and comfortable wood architecture appropriate in every case to its regional context
- The adoption of approaches to urban development which encourage the continued existence of high quality traditions of wood architecture as a social resource.
- The establishment of a social educational system to train technical experts, architects, craftsmen, and researchers.
The Forum for Wood Architecture is an organization committed to continuous action together with many other people involved in the creation of a lifestyle which revolves around the use of timber, cooperating with them as volunteers at a local level and offering mutual support through the above mentioned activities.
Our goals therefore are:
- To offer a meeting place for people who are involved with wood architecture either as suppliers or consumers in fields such as forestry, saw-mill management, wood processing, design, construction, research, education and government administration.
- To set up a worldwide network for the exchange of information and research in this field and to seek ways of making the results publicly available.
- To contribute to creating a living environment which meets the needs of each particular region.
ACTIVITIES AND
PROJECTS
Research Development Projects
Commissioned@ Research
- Preliminary tests of fire-resistance on curtain walls made of laminated lumber,
- Tests on the thatched roof of Seki-house (a 17th century farmhouse) as a horizontal diaphragm
Joint Research
- Research group on "itakura" constructionia traditional Japanese construction method using planks at load-bearing wallsj
Voluntary Research
Groups
- Research group on traditional earth walls
- Research group for developing software related to wood architecture
- Research group for high-rise timber construction
- Research group on active networks for the local circulation of wood
- Research group on a modern system of "kiwari" (traditional modular proportional design
system for timber housing)
- Research group on cost-effectiveness in timber housing,
- Research group on the dynamic behaviour of five-story-pagodas
- Research group on fire-prevention and the fire-resistance of timber construction
Consciousness-raising Activities
Wood Architecture Award (an award is made following an open-forum discussion of what constitutes good wood architecture in a local context, and public selection of particular buildings or activities)
Japan Wood Wall Cup (the cup is awarded following a tournament to select the best design for a shear wall of timber, based on earthquake performance, environmental impact and quality of design)
Open Forums (Meetings for discussion of regional issues relating to wood architecture and inspection tours in various regions)
Social Education
Seminars on
the following subjects:
- Renovation of Japanese traditional vernacular houses
- Modern timber building based on traditional techniques
- Wood as a building material
- Timber structural engineering
Study Tours and Site Visits
relating to wood
architecture in Japan and overseas
International Exchange
Activities
- Organizing international forums
- Exchange and dissemination of technical information
- Q&A (A counseling service concerning wood and timber architecture)
- Dispatch of instructors and lecturers
- Support, cooperation and encouragement for other groups or organizations concerned with wood architecture
- Publication of "NPO Wood Architecture" 3 times a year
- Issue of a "Forum Newsletter" every 2 months
- Operation of a website
- Editing and publication of books related to wood architecture
How to become a member of
the Forum for Wood
Architecture
@Types of membership and annual fees (financial year runs from April 1 to March 31)
1) Full Members
Both individuals and organizations are eligible, and can participate in any activity organized by the Forum.
Annual fee: 10,000 (plus an enrollment fee for new members of 2000)
Discounted membership is available for members under 25 years old (U25)
2) Supporting
Members
For individuals and organizations who offer financial support for the activities of the Forum
Donations are accepted in an annual unit of 50,000 and above.
3) Associate Members
Subscribers to the journal "NPO Wood Architecture"
Annual fee: 4000 (plus an enrollment fee for new members of 2000)
Please note: Members who require shipment outside Japan will incur a 1000 surcharge.
Benefits of membership
1. The right to be elected as a trustee or to elect trustees who participate in planning and managing the organization
2. The right to participate in any activities of the Forum for Wood Architecture preferentially and with discounted fees when available
3. Receipt of the newsletter bimonthly and the journal 3 times a year, and the right to contribute to both of these publications
4. The opportunity to buy books published by the Forum for Wood Architecture at a discounted price
How to become a member of The Forum for Wood Architecture
PDDownload the application form from our website and print it out
Fill out the form and fax it to our office in Tokyo at
(++81-3-5144-0056)
QDPay the annual membership fee at your bank or at a post office and send it ( telegraphically if from abroad ) to our account at either the UFJ Bank or the Post Office ( details as below ).
Account Number: 3869267 at the Tsukishima Branch of UFJ Bank
NPO Ki no Kenchiku Forum (Forum for Wood Architecture)
Or
Account Number: 00150-6-37295 at the Post Office
NPO Ki no Kenchiku Forum (Forum for Wood Architecture)
PLEASE NOTE
1. Payment should be made in Japanese Yen.
2. Any banking costs should be paid by the applicant.
3. Please indicate your name and that of the Forum for Wood Architecture on bank transfers
RD After receipt of your membership fee has been confirmed, we will send you your membership card, and the latest editions of the newsletter and the journal (both of which are available only in Japanese).
Or
Please send an e-mail to office@forum.or.jp and contact us first!
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