President’s Message
Creating Timberized City
Since its establishment in 1974, Shelter Co., Ltd. has continued to create, innovate, and take the challenge to become the world’s front-runner in wooden structural technology.Shelter offers state-of-the-art infrastructure technology for “Creating a Timberized City” that will have an impact on preventing global warming.The synergistic effect of Japan’s first metal joinery hardware construction method, the KES system (Kimura Excellent Structure System), and the world’s first 3-hour fire-resistant wooden material COOL WOOD has enabled Shelter to realize large-scale, high-rise wooden structures.Moreover, the adoption of Asia’s first state-of-the-art 3D woodworking machine has made FREE WOOD (curved and twisting wooden materials) commercially viable through three dimensional design and machining. Artistic buildings can be created by giving shape to whatever can be imagined.With offices in Yamagata, Tokyo, and Sendai, Shelter has developed a “win-win” business model by collaborating with contractors in each area to provide its technology nationwide.
State-of-the-art wooden structural technology
「KES×COOL WOOD×FREE WOOD」
「Shelter has dedicated itself to hone its technology in constructing wooden buildings based on its business philosophy to “seek for what is right” and the spirit from its foundation to “build first-rate homes.” The KES system, which proved its extraordinary resilience in the wake of the severe earthquakes and tsunamis of the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995 and the East Japan Earthquake in 2011, has been adopted in the construction of high-quality custom-built homes and more than 1000 public wooden buildings.The Shelter Nanyo Hall (Nanyo City, Yamagata Prefecture) which was built with the KES system and fire-proof wood technology COOL WOOD has been registered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “largest wooden concert hall.”The wood delivers superior performance such as the best acoustic level in the world, humidity control due to the wood breathing, and superior energy-saving effect. The hall contributes to the vitalization of the region with the continual appearance of renowned performers and the expanding the number of visitors.The “Inverted Mt. Fuji” of the Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre, Shizuoka (designed by Shigeru Ban Architects) has a wooden lattice at the exterior of the building made through 3D woodworking. Th grid shaped lattice of this massive monument that curves outward fascinates all who visit this center.
Moving to different dimension in architecture
As exemplified by the rapid shift to EV in the automotive industry, revolutionary products are being produced in various fields to replace existing technologies. With the arrival of the “Wood First” trend, architecture is also seeing the birth of a new growing industry which employs wood to connect the urban with the rural.Shelter leverages the synergistic effect created from “KES x COOL WOOD x FREE WOOD” technologies to realize large-scale high-rise buildings made only from wood, hybrid skyscrapers made from “steel-reinforced concrete + COOL WOOD,” and wooden buildings made with FREE WOOD that are conceived as “out of the box” as they do not conform to existing shapes or formats.
Architecture is now witnessing the arrival of an entirely new stage of a different dimension.
Shelter Co., Ltd. President & CEO
Yoshihiro Kimura