More than 1,200 cubic metres of timber from last year’s World Expo Grand Ring will be repurposed and used in 50 quake‑proof disaster‑relief houses, after Suzu’s local government confirmed that up to 5% of the wood used in the two‑kilometre superstructure will be redeployed to support thousands of residents devastated by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
Wood Central can reveal that the proposal is being championed by Shigeru Ban, the Pritzker Prize‑winning architect renowned for pioneering construction systems using cardboard, bamboo, and plywood, who said he hopes the initiative will “give people a reason to look at the reality of the disaster area.”
The decision comes after Sou Fujimoto, the lead architect responsible for the ring, warned that up to 70% of the timber used in the world’s largest architecturally designed wooden structure was at risk of being chipped and sold as firewood.
“Unfortunately, now, almost a decision by the political people [has been made about] keeping only 10%, 200 metres, and then all the rest will be demolished,” Fujimoto said, adding that “maybe 20% could be carefully dismantled and then transported to other places for a second life.” A point that is fully supported by Ban. “If the ring is just going to be disposed of as wood chips,” he said, “it’s better to put it to effective use in a disaster area. It also creates conversation.”
It comes as crews began dismantling the ring in full last month, which, during the Expo, used more than 27,000 cubic metres of timber, including 70% sourced from Japanese cedar and hinoki, and the remainder from superstrong European red cedar. Engineered to withstand earthquakes, the ring was assembled using Nuki joints, a traditional Japanese joinery method requiring no nails or screws, allowing the timber to be dismantled and reassembled with minimal damage.
And as for the housing, Suzu officials estimate that about 65 square metres of timber (20 cubic metres) will be used in each of the 50‑plus units. “We want it to carry on the Expo legacy and become a symbolic presence when our recovery is complete,” a Suzu city official told Japanese media today.
The new plan continues Ban’s strong ties with Suzu. In the weeks after the earthquake, he donated materials used to construct his paper‑tube partition system to help secure privacy in evacuation centres, and also designed a series of timber-based multi‑storey emergency housing systems to improve living conditions for displaced residents.
- To learn more about the Grand Ring, which in March was awarded as the world record as the world’s largest wooden architectural structure by the Gusiness Book of Records, click here for Wood Central’s special feature. And to learn why engineers are now developing new shock absorbers that will help buildings bounce back faster from quakes, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
