Austria’s CREE Buildings and Japan’s Asahi Kasei Homes (AKH) proudly announce a new strategic partnership for sustainable construction. Through the alliance, AKH aims to construct buildings in Japan in an environmentally friendly way by utilizing CREE’s timber-hybrid system.

 

CREE’s innovative methods are increasingly gaining wide recognition for boosting efficiencies in construction processes. This latest license partner agreement – after the onboarding of similar big players in Europe and North America – will see a further roll-out of CREE construction techniques in the Far East, following successes in Singapore.

 

 

Asian upscaling for hybrid solutions

 

With a long active interest in decarbonization and becoming carbon neutral, AKH managers visited CREE’s landmark EDGE Suedkreuz project in Berlin – Germany’s largest timber-hybrid building, given platinum status by the country’s Sustainable Building Council. Despite the divergent local conditions in the countries, the Japanese firm saw the upscaling potential of CREE’s modular and prefabrication approach.

 

“There are a small number of hybrid systems in Japan right now, but we think the necessity will only grow and we want to be the forerunner,” says project manager Chikara Takahashi. “We were attracted to CREE due to their extensive global partnerships, open innovation and accumulated knowledge in design methods.”

 

 

Merging technology with tradition

 

As a green construction trailblazer in Japan, AKH is interested in the decarbonizing potential of using CREE’s timber-based techniques and the mindset of open innovation. The emphasis on this time-honored material also recalls Japan’s millennia of successful wooden construction – now skillfully combined with the very latest tech and regulatory compliance.

 

“Japan was always a frontrunner in terms of innovation and AKH demonstrate this,” says CREE’s Business Development Director Volker Weissenberger.” We had so much interest from Japanese architects and journalists over the years that it was important for us to have a strong and committed partner willing to bring the CREE System to Japan.”

 

Partnership with CREE forms part of Asahi Kasei Homes’ shift of large-volume multi-story buildings towards sustainable solutions. AKH also brings its extensive expertise in structuring, steel, and prototyping to the table, knowledge now available to the entire CREE Network. From an architectural perspective, the open plan design and visible exterior walls enabled by the CREE System provide an attractive showcase for wooden surfaces.

 

 

Customization and innovative testing

 

At its purpose-built R&D facility in the Fuji city area, AKH has undertaken some of the most rigorous testing ever of the CREE System. Customization of hybrid slabs tested a variety of climatic conditions, including earthquakes and typhoons. As a result, AKH found that CREE’s timber-hybrid system will conform to Japan’s distinctive seismic resistance standards.

 

“We have been impressed by the development and testing already undertaken by our Japanese colleagues, showing the universal appeal and versatility of CREE techniques,” says CREE Buildings CEO and Founder Hubert Rhomberg. “The expansion of our partner network with Asahi Kasei Homes and thus entrance into the Japanese market underlines our leadership in sustainable construction and the innovative power of our know-how network.”

 

AKH is now currently looking at projects for implementing CREE in a variety of commercial and mixed-use buildings in Japan in the near future.

 

“As a company that aims to contribute to sustainability, AKH had searched for a hybrid construction technology using wood and steel framing to achieve decarbonization that is indispensable for the urgent issue of mitigating the climate crisis,” says Fumitoshi Kawabata, President of AKH. “The system know-how of CREE Buildings has high affinity for the provision of homes and services that AKH aims for. Through cooperation between the two companies, we would like to contribute to environmentally friendly construction in Japan.”

 

 

About Asahi Kasei Homes

AKH aims to be a company that continues to be needed by society by providing products and services that support people’s lives, lifestyle, and living in general. Since its establishment in 1972, AKH has worked to provide homes and services that enable people to live long, safe, and comfortable lives while responding to the highly changeable weather conditions that are characteristic of the seasons in Japan, the dense urban living environments, and the frequent occurrence of natural disasters. Hebel Haus unit homes and Hebel Maison apartment buildings, which are constructed leveraging the combination of AKH’s proprietary steel frame structure and Hebel AAC, have been highly evaluated as resilient housing that can withstand recent increasingly severe disasters. AKH aims to achieve sustainability by continuously seeking challenges in new fields to leverage its strengths.

 

 

About CREE Buildings

CREE Buildings is an international construction collective for regenerative building solutions. Founded in 2010 by Hubert Rhomberg, CREE Buildings is dedicated to sustainable and healthy buildings using prefabricated timber-based components and has developed the CREE System: proven, reproducible, and constantly evolving solutions for multi-story timber-hybrid buildings. By licensing this unique system, their global network of partners builds smartly and sustainably by sharing knowledge and collaborating through the CREE Platform. From Europe to Asia to North America, together, they are revolutionizing the construction industry.

 

 

Press Contact

CREE GmbH

Färbergasse 17b, 6850 Dornbirn, Austria

Contact: Alexandra Fink

Phone: +43664 967 2133

E-Mail: alexandra.fink@creebuildings.com

 

www.creebuildings.com

Press enquiries: media@creebuildings.com

General enquiries: info@creebuildings.com

 

 

 

Asahi Kasei Homes and CREE Buildings visit EDGE Suedkreuz in Berlin