WIA_ISSUE2_2023

SUSTAINABILITY
of CO2 than a typical building. Its
rooftop is decked out with solar
panels, creating roughly 516,000kWh
of clean energy annually. Its
construction strategy used CLT for
slabs and glue-laminated timber
(glulam) for beams and columns.
These materials supplied by Stora
Enso are PEFC-certified. The inside of
the building has exposed timber and
large windows to create an inviting
space. Glazed skylights add a touch
of nature indoors. As NTU president,
Prof Ho Teck Hua put it, “The building
was designed to connect humans to
their natural surroundings. Students
and faculty benefit from the open
spaces for study and collaboration.”*
H10, a commercial real estate brand
in Japan, has opened its latest
building which taps into the natural
appeal of wood. The H10 Umedia
Chayamachi unveiled in Osaka in
April, marks Nomura Real Estate
Development’s third venture into
this field. This building soars to 38m,
offering over 2,187m 2 of floor space.
Its extensive use of timber — on
the first and second floors and in
the building’s columns and beams
— makes it stand out. Sumitomo
Forestry provided these components,
ensuring they met the Sustainable
Green Ecosystem Council (SGEC),
or PEFC Japan, chain-of-custody
(CoC) standards, meaning that every
piece of forest-based material used
in the building can be traced back
to its origins. As a result, the project
has gained a PEFC CoC certification,
the highest possible accreditation
in this domain. With the objective
of combining wellness at work with
sustainable building practices, the
building specifications met Japanese
green building and energy rating
schemes which satisfied design and
performance standards, including
Comprehensive Assessment System
for Built Environment Efficiency
(CASBEE) and Building Efficiency
Labelling System (BELS). H10
Chayamachi is curating tactile
spaces for customers to get closer
to nature to replicate the results
of surveys showing increased
happiness, productivity and
creativity in greener office spaces.*
Scientific research has begun to
confirm that we can bring many
of these benefits into our daily
spaces by using materials close to
their natural state, such as wood.
While no building could replace the
natural environment, the materials
that create living spaces are at
the core of our lives. Connecting
closely to nature is the mission of
biophilic architecture — a design
principle that aims to connect the
natural world by incorporating
elements of nature.* As philosopher
of architecture Gaston Bachelard
suggests, each space inhabited for
a notable length of time has a touch
of home about it.
As resources become increasingly
limited, progressive cities are
strengthening ties with nature.
Biophilic Cities — a network of cities
joined in the mission to infuse urban
landscapes with more nature —
champions the cause of integrating
natural elements to improve urban
living. Thirty cities are working
towards a future where the health
and wellbeing of city-dwellers are
intertwined with practices that
nurture and sustain both people and
the environment.
These buildings show how — with
certification and design approaches
— wooden construction can be
sustainably accomplished to help us
reconnect with nature. WIA
Images for Gaia: Don Tan, Tan Hui Qin,
and Eileen Tan
Images for Triodos Bank: Bert Rietberg voor J.P.
van Eesteren
*References are available upon request
“PEFC added that wood,
when responsibly sourced,
is an extraordinary building
material. It is quick to work
with, beautifies any project,
and does not require as much
energy to produce as concrete,
steel, cement, or glass. It is good
for the environment and for the
people.”
Sorelle Henricus
PhD
32 WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE • ISSUE 2 – 2023