Circular Design leveraging Hidakuma’s hardwood trees for Community and Architecture

Hida City in Gifu Prefecture is home to magnificent autumn foliage wood that turns bright red in the fall. Unlike the monoculture cedar forests, which artificially make up nearly 20 percent of Japan’s forests, the natural “broadleaf” forest in Hida is inhabited by a diverse number of native trees. From Japanese beech and the rare native Mizunara oak (Quercus mongolica) used for the most luxurious Japanese whisky barrels, to brightly colored mushrooms, the forest is home to a wide variety of local flora and fauna.

Although they account for more than half of all forests in Japan, broadleaf forests are rarely cared for by the forestry industry as most of the trees intentionally distributed in the world are artificial conifers, such as cedar and cypress.

Why are coniferous and trees from broadleaf forests (from here on “hardwood trees”), roughly equal in availability, not being equally marketed and sold around the world?

Kotaro Iwaoka (President of Hidakuma): “Coniferous trees are widely used as building materials for houses because they can grow straight and be cut down in 35 to 50 years after planting. On the other hand, hardwood trees take about 70 to 80 years to be cut down. Unlike coniferous trees, hardwoods have not been fully utilized because they are often bent or unevenly shaped.

“We are working directly with these hardwood trees in Hida City. In particular, we are trying to expand the possibilities of the forest and local lifestyles while creating new value for hardwoods in Hida.”

How exactly are Iwaoka and Hidakuma working to utilize hardwood trees? We visited three Hidakuma locations: the Morinoha Office (which is constructed using hardwoods,) FabCafe Hida, (a maker’s cafe, wood studio and guest house,) and the forests of Hida to share with you the fascinating aspects of Hida and Hidakuma. Perhaps they will inspire you to reconsider the future that we think about from a forest-centered perspective.

Interviewee Profile

Morinoha Office, where sustainable practice is embedded in architectural form

Humans have lived with the exponential benefits of nature for generations. However, due to short-term economic decisions and other factors, many of Japan’s forests have been neglected and biodiversity has decreased. Now, it is difficult to say that people and nature in Japan coexist in a harmonious or mutually beneficial sense. Therefore, it is a good time to reconsider the value of forests from the perspective of the next 100 years.

Hidakuma was born out of the people of Hida City’s desire to manifest a town that makes use of the local and abundant yet underutilized hardwood tree. The Morinoha Office, embodies this aim through various architectural interventions, including the implementation of modular design, which allows parts of the building to be replaced, reused and recycled more easily. This approach supports a longer and more diverse lifespan for the hardwood components of the building itself.

The Morinoha Office opened in August 2022 to accelerate the linkage between forest resource utilization and forest development. The office is also now the new base for Hida City’s “Hardwood Trees Community Development” project.

Iwaoka: “From the very beginning of Hidakuma’s establishment, we had a desire to create architecture with hardwood trees. In order to create the forests of the future, we need to properly nurture the forests, and to do that, we need to bring down the trees we have now from the forests and use them. Otherwise, we cannot give back to the forests. Conifers such as cedar, cypress, and pine are the mainstay of Japan’s forestry industry. They can be used as building materials, but in the case of hardwoods, most of them remain unutilized.

Hardwoods are good for making furniture, but limiting the use to furniture means limiting the quantity used. We believe that hardwoods should be used as building materials, which is the main channel for lumber use in the forestry industry. We have created the Morinoha Office as a model for this.”

According to Iwaoka, the method of building with such hardwoods has not yet been established in the wider architectural world. Unlike softwoods, which have accepted building material standards and specifications, there are only few examples of new buildings that utilize hardwoods as structural materials. With this in mind, the Morinoha Office was created based on the production of hardwood furniture. It is an intentional design that considers both how to make use of the materials even after the building’s lifetime is over in order to make full use of the trees with low or zero waste.

Iwaoka: “The forestry workers, lumber makers, and carpenters… have established a method of turning wood into planks for use as furniture material. So, we decided to use the same planks for this building as for the hardwood furniture. In this way, we are making sure that the wood can be reused as a material for furniture even after the architecture itself is finally dismantled.”

Iwaoka: “First, from the already dried and prepared wood, we selected pieces that could be used for the building structure, furniture, door frames, etc. The leftover wood scraps were lined up and made into the terrace. The wood shavings from the woodworking process have thermal insulation properties, so we put them in the walls for insulation. The finer shavings were made into chipboard and used for the terrace walls and the ceiling.”

Architecture that utilizes the living forest in its entirety

Hidakuma’s offices are made entirely from wood, and a certain amount of ingenuity is used to implement the design. Several types of wood are utilized, including beech, Monarch birch, Mizunara oak, Japanese magnolia, and more. Since most of the wood used comes directly from the nearby forests, the species of wood used in the construction is said to be the same in proportion and composition as the species of trees found in the forests.

Iwaoka: “There are many types of hardwoods, ranging from trees that are in a ticking condition to those that are soft and porous. For example, if you want to build a strong building, the designer would want to choose only hard Mizunara oak. But there are many different kinds of trees growing in the forest, not just Mizunara oak.

“The forest is also alive. It is pretentious for us to think that it will always cater to our selfish needs: it is not like it will always provide the exact trees we want. For humans and the forests to get along well, I think it is important to use what comes out of the forests with wisdom. Therefore, this architecture is designed in a way that any kind of tree can be used. We call this strategy ‘forest matching.'”

Getting to know Hida’s diverse hardwood trees

Before the start of Hidakuma, Iwaoka knew nothing about Hida City. Even with a background in architecture himself, he did not even know the difference between hardwoods and softwoods. With a beginner’s mind, he gradually learned about the distribution of Hida’s hardwoods, the challenges, woodworking, and everything from sourcing wood in the forest up to the manufacturing process itself. Iwaoka understands the appeal of Hida’s forests.

Iwaoka: “Unlike forests filled with coniferous trees, the hardwood trees of Hida produce leaves which fall every year, eventually decomposed by nature. On this rich soil, various plants grow wild, and support the diverse animals of the forest. This forest is full of a variety of life, which is both good and dangerous for humans. I feel that I get a lot of energy when I enter such a forest.”

Iwaoka: “Hardwoods are also attractive from a business standpoint for Hidakuma. When a forest is diverse, there are so many options. From researchers to artists, everyone who enters the forest has something different to focus on. For example, someone who likes mushrooms will find a variety of mushrooms and think to themselves, ‘How can I utilize mushrooms?’ For hardwood trees, the possibilities are endless.”

Creating a town where local hardwood furniture and construction becomes the standard

As the number of visitors increases, Hidakuma is succeeding in creating multiple uses for local hardwood beyond traditional furniture applications. We asked Iwaoka, whose team continues to explore the possibilities of forests in all their diversity and to promote awareness of the appeal of hardwoods, what Hidakuma aims to do in the future.

Iwaoka: “I would like to create an efficient system for building with hardwoods. Even now, hardwoods that are not suitable for furniture are traded as pulp or chips, or used as mushroom beds, so they are not wasted. However, it is our belief that these applications do not make full use of the true value of the trees. To use many trees as possible in a valuable way, I think it is necessary to increase popular knowledge and awareness regarding hardwoods, and to think of new ways to utilize them together with all types of people.

“To this end, we are currently working on a system to make 3D scanning data of trees and forests publicly available. By providing this data, we want to enable designers, architects and makers of all sorts to think about how to utilize trees while they are still standing in the forest. We believe that by doing this, the entire forest and the region as a whole will be seen as a precious resource.

“At first, I wanted to use the Morinoha Office as a model for spreading hardwood architecture throughout Japan. However, I now feel that this building was only possible in Hida, and that we should focus on expanding it in this region instead. I hope that the use of hardwoods in Hida as furniture and buildings will take root as a natural part of the local culture.”

Toward a society where people can live connected to nature

What kind of future does Iwaoka envisions through forests?

Iwaoka: “I am currently planning a new event titled ‘Natural Science in Architecture’. Architecture is an engineering discipline born from the need of protecting people from the natural environment, while at the same time allowing them to live and work in harmony with it. I want to create a society in which each and every human being is constantly connected to nature.

I feel that we are pushing ourselves too hard nowadays. When human beings, who are a part of nature, push themselves too hard, uncountable problems cascade down to every other living creature and environment on Earth. I believe that if we could stop pushing ourselves like this, we would be able to coexist better with the entire planet.

As an example, let’s look at how offices are built from an architectural point of view. In summer, it would be best to let in lots of cool morning air into the office, but modern buildings are closed spaces where glass prevents both the heat rays as well as any kind of outside breeze from entering the inside. On the other hand, it would make sense to spend warm days in low spaces, shielded from the heat of the day by a variety of shadows, yet many of us work in high-rise buildings and turn on the air conditioner when in need of a cool breeze.”

Iwaoka explains that, by nature, humans should be able to adapt and live well within the natural order of things. However, the problem is that we are no longer working together with nature.

“In other words, I think that the urban spaces and living spaces that people have created in recent years are based too much on the premise of disconnection from nature. In fact, if we make use of what is found in nature, we should be able to live without spending so much energy. However, we are adding various things for comfort and using too much unnecessary energy. I feel this is because we have lost touch with nature.”

Iwaoka: “In that sense, I think that ultimately we should apply engineering, technology, robotics, and other resources that humans have acquired in the modern world to successfully take in what we need from nature. In order to do so, it is crucial to know nature, to realize the importance of being connected to it, and to learn that we can live together with it.

“Hidakuma is taking the first step towards creating such a society.”

Bottom-up activities to nurture a large circle of circulation

Connecting people to nature. Exploring the diversity of hardwoods to nurture equally diverse local communities. There is yet another project that Iwaoka has started in the hope that meaningful local activities will spread more widely.

The crQlr Awards were launched in 2021 by FabCafe and Loftwork to recognize initiatives aimed at creating a recycling-oriented society. As a FabCafe founding member, Iwaoka created a new prize this year called the “Special Award.” This prize is given to honor bottom-up activities born from local communities around the globe aimed at realizing a circular society.

Iwaoka: “FabCafe started in Tokyo and currently has different branches both domestically and internationally, including in the city of Hida. However, we are very much aware that sustainability-related initiatives are constantly being born all around the globe. I was thinking about how we can create a circle of circulation by involving local communities invested in these small but wonderful activities – how we can make them better known and expand their efforts.

“I realized that it is important to pay attention to local activities and support them so that they will lead to the next cycle. Of course, large-scale global movements are important as well, but it is also key to let people know about local activities that can be superimposed on their own community. That is why we created the Special Award category for the crQlr Awards 2022.

“If we can support the seeds of regional initiatives by highlighting bottom-up activities, these seeds will one day become big flowers and trees, and the forest will become as rich as a forest of hardwood trees.

“We need to remember once again that humans are part of nature, so that we can restore the richness of the forest. Hidakuma and FabCafe have many exciting challenges ahead.”

crQlr Summit 2023 JAPAN Special tour on “Learning with the Five Senses”: A Bottom-up Circular Economy Rooted in the Community

An offline summit welcomed the judges and winners of the crQlr Awards 2022, including Iwaoka himself as well as diverse players in the sustainability field, in late February 2023. The Summit was held at Santome Konjaku Mura, a sustainable ecovillage managed by the waste-processing company Ishizaka Sangyo. The event invited participants to explore bottom-up solutions for implementing the circular economy through a tour of the waste recycling facilities and satoyama (fields) areas. The program also included sustainability-driven presentations, networking, and entertainment. Click here for more information.

Enjoy a video about Hidakuma here (with English subtitles):