Bamboo is stronger than cedar but is not a building material according to existing Japanese building codes. Therefore, it took two years to develop Japan's first bamboo laminated timber as a structural system. After strength tests of the joints, we obtained a performance evaluation certificate for the bamboo laminated timber structure. Projects are underway for a one-story retail shop in Kagoshima Prefecture, which has the largest area of bamboo forests in Japan. Bamboo proliferates and can be used as a building material in three to five years and cycles more quickly than coniferous timber, which takes about 40-60 years.

It also does not need to be planted due to its characteristics as an underground stem. Therefore, it is a building material that can be supplied stably and can potentially compensate for timber shortages. In addition, bamboo only absorbs CO2 for about one year; however, it circulates in a short period of time; therefore, the more it is used, the more it can contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society. Furthermore, as bamboo is found throughout Japan, with the exception of parts of northern Japan, it can be consumed as a building material for local production for local consumption, leading not only to the revival of the defunct bamboo industry, but also to the development of a high value-added industry and job creation.

The implementation of this project will help bamboo construction to spread both domestically and internationally and help achieve the SDGs.