This homepage introduces the concept of the project and how the first model is being built. Concept This project aims to build houses with characteristics as follows: * Houses which are mainly made of local wood of Kawasaki town * Houses which only use unvarnished wood that is not treated with any chemicals for the health of its residents * Houses which help to foster the natural resources and help to purify the water reserve in the Kamafusa Dam as a result of its use of the wood in the region * The houses are to be designed and built by the people in Kawasaki town, such as local architects, construction companies and carpenters This project is certified as one of the official projects for promoting and supporting the housing industry in Miyagi prefecture government. This project also supports other groups to spread the idea of locally-built houses projects in other municipalities.

History: The first model house of the Residence of Miyagi [Kawasaki-town version] The first model house is located in Kawasaki town near the Kamafusa Dam. It is going to be the first house which is actually lived in with the concept of the project of the Residence of Miyagi [Kawasaki version]. It has already been highly evaluated by the Miyagi prefecture for its local-oriented and eco-friendly characteristics and it was qualified as the residence of Miyagi on 13th July, 2004. It is currently under construction and the completion date is currently set in March 2005. After the completion, it is going to not only be lived by the residents in Kawasaki-town but also be exhibited for visitors as the first model residence.

Design and Construction The architectural design is done by the group of architects led by the architectural firm, [Yuzo-sha]. Various researches, experiments and further design for the details are being carried out during the construction to be utilized in the house designing and building in the future. The operation is to be done by the construction firms in Kawasaki town; Shibata Doken Corporation is the leading contractor and Shiga Kenchiku is taking charge of carpentry.

Material and Characteristics for Health and Environment The material for its structure and exterior is the wood of Kawasaki town, with the wide-range of its kinds, such as chestnut, cypress, pine, cedar, fir and paulownia. These woods are going to be placed in the right part of the house with the right kind. A lot of efforts are being made to challenge to realize an affordable price for the house that does not use any plywood but only uses unvarnished timber instead, for it normally costs more to use timber compared to plywood. The interior is to be done without any plastic wallpapers and the paint for the house is to be minimized. Instead, the timber and plaster are to be used for the finish of the wall work so that the house can clear the sick-house regulation. The effort to pursue the appropriate material and building method for both the health of the residents and the environment is also being made. For example, the house does not use any harmful organic compound chemicals for insecticide. Instead, it uses the effective agent in charcoal and natural acid extracted from smoke from wood to avoid the damage on the house from pests. The research for the right selection of the kind of wood to minimize the use of such chemicals is also being done.

People The leading organization which is promoting and supporting this project is [kawasakino mori wo hagukumu iedukuri net ]. This group is supporters for the Kawasaki-timber-house for the healthy life. It promotes the health- friendly house-building with the local wood by the local people in Kawasaki town. It has also been acting as a member of an official regional network for creating a vision for the water resource surrounding the Kamafusa Dam.

Construction Diary The visual information of how it is being build can be view at this page. Although it is written in Japanese, you can browse a lot of pictures. Please enjoy! http://mori-ie.net/iedukuri/diary.html

If you have any inquiries, send E-mail to jpnsloas (at) cocoa.ocn.ne.jp Please change "(at)" to "@".

Links For more information, please refer to these addresses below: * Miyagi prefecture government homepage http://www.pref.miyagi.jp/ * Miyagi housing promotional division http://www.pref.miyagi.jp/juusin/ * Residence of Miyagi http://www.pref.miyagi.jp/juusin/miyagiban/m-index.htm * [Kawasakino moriwo hagukumu iedukuri net] homepage http://mori-ie.net/ * Previous works of wood of Kawasaki: Obari community center and a wood swing branco.html

Japanese version