Japanese Precut Timber Construction

Aug 2011

By Tim Winstanley — Filed under: Architecture News , Prefabricated, Timber, Wood

▼

Add this to My Bookmarks:

share by email

share by email

The traditional wooden construction of Japanese architecture is extremely detailed. Its exacting precision and craftsmanship has stood the test of time for centuries. However, the process of handcrafting each wooden beam with mortises and tenons is quite labor intensive, and with an aging workforce, automation of the production process is key to continuing the tradition.

A recent example of this fully automated technology at work is Bakoko’s Onjuku Beach House, which was erected in 1 day by a small construction team led by two carpenters. What is truly amazing, besides the ability to assemble a house in one day is, the ease and precision of the construction.

It all starts at the factory, where the architectural drawings are turned into shop drawings that the computers can read. From here, the raw wood goes through a series of mills and routers, labeled, and finally packaged for shipping off to the site. Once the wood pieces arrive at the construction site, the collection of milled beams and columns can be read and assembled like a puzzle. Mortises and tenons fit together perfectly which allows joints to be fully exposed and embraced in the architectural aesthetic of the building. Furthermore, this method preserves the age-old tradition of detailing and construction with wood for future generations to appreciate.

Check out the video to see the manufacturing process and construction in action.

Photographs: Bakoko.com, Flickr user: Bakoko
References: Bakoko.com

: © Bakoko.com

: © Bakoko.com

: © Bakoko.com

: © Bakoko.com

: © Bakoko.com

Cite:
Winstanley , Tim . "Japanese Precut Timber Construction" 19 Aug 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 22 Feb 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/158918>

Comments (4)
Tweets (45)
Links to this entry (0)

auto says:

Thanks for the article. I think this mechanisation of the traditional forms of Japanese joinery can only really be a bad thing, I used to work as a joiner doing traditional english oak frame and I know how much skill goes into doing it by hand (more so in the japanese standard). Mechanisation is just a way of making a process ultimately efficient – which is what you need with precision pre cast concrete or steel components – but when you replace the traditional skills like in joinery you remove the humanity, the culture, the history from it. It may be perfect joinery and the wood still needs to be selected but it isn’t real, its lego.

# August 20, 2011 at 04:32

….Further, its nonsense to say that the joiners are getting older so milled components are the only way to take up the slack. It doesn’t cost much to train people, its skilled intellectual work and we should remember that we are people too – don’t replace everyone with machines because we are writing ourselves out of the equation.
I was in my early 20′s when I worked in timber frame, I am only 28 now and going on to be an architect. Timber frame is really enjoyable and I think many more young people should discover it, especially Japanese – it is not incompatible with modern life. I know that if in the future a client can afford for traditional skilled construction they will get it.

# August 20, 2011 at 04:45

G. Allegretti, Architect says:

I must agree with auto. There is something just very wrong with this method. It violates the very spirit of the craft.

# August 21, 2011 at 13:09

Greg Howes says:

This is a great video and the inevitable future of the building industry. CNC fabrication already dominates wood-framed building in much of Europe and is capturing a growing share of the North American market (the situation in Japan is made obvious in the video). It enhances craft and enables innovative architecture while also making raising quality and making building more affordable – plus radically reducing waste.

Fearing fabrication is like fearing electricity. Banning power tools would radically raise the price of housing (note the many references to efficiency in the video) and discouraging builders from using the very best tools available is simply wrong.

My perspective comes from owning a building company for 20 years, my father owns a sawmill, as did my grandfather, and his father. These technologies will save the industry and enhance craft – they already are. These same technologies are also used by consumer electronics (iphone!), aerospace and the automotive industries to create beauty and well-crafted products efficiently.

Thanks to Arch Daily for including this video on digital fabrication. Keep up the good work.

# August 23, 2011 at 01:35

6:05 PM Aug 19th

Robert Thompson

#japanesedesign http://ow.ly/67Ltq

6:07 PM Aug 19th

Bocetos Digitales

Japanese Precut Timber Construction: Click here to view the embedded video. The traditional wooden construction … http://t.co/vm2PvDR

6:08 PM Aug 19th

Archifront

Japanese Precut #Timber Construction: Click here to view the embedded video. The traditional… http://t.co/K6pWNzi

6:11 PM Aug 19th