Choosing Wooden Office Buildings in the City: Saeiken Begins Construction in Kobe Using Tanba Timber

Saeiken Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: 115-1 Tajiro, Kaibara-cho, Tanba City, Hyogo Prefecture; CEO: Tatsuo Adachi) began construction of a wooden office building using Tanba timber near Kasuganomichi Station in Kobe in April 2026, with completion expected in October 2026. At a time when tensions in the Middle East are impacting Japan's procurement of construction materials, local timber construction that does not rely on petrochemical products is gaining renewed attention. The FOREST GROUP, which has been involved in the forests of Tanba for over 100 years since the days of the CEO's great-grandfather, has realized a 6th-industry model that handles everything from forestry to construction and real estate. They are putting the choice of consuming Tanba timber within the Hyogo economic zone into practice in the urban area of Kobe. It is an advanced model that links disaster prevention, environmental protection, local production for local consumption, and regional revitalization, aiming to spread this practice from Hyogo to the rest of Japan. ■ Why Wooden Office Buildings in Urban Areas? In urban areas where steel and reinforced concrete (RC) are the norm, building wooden offices has clear social significance: 1. Protecting the forest is protecting the city. 2. Wood stores carbon while becoming a building. Unlike steel and concrete, whose manufacturing processes emit large amounts of CO₂, wood stores carbon and can be utilized as a building material for a long time. The spread of wooden architecture in cities is an act of decarbonization in the construction sector. 3. From Tanba's three headwaters to the city of Kobe. The Tanba region serves as a nexus of water and greenery, housing the headwaters of Hyogo's three rivers: the Mukogawa, Yuragawa, and Kakogawa. Consuming wood grown in this region within the Hyogo economic zone generates ripple effects not only in forestry, lumber, and construction, but also in food and tourism. Local production for local consumption centered on wood creates an economic cycle for the entire region. 4. A model for Japan. When urban companies choose regional forests, it helps protect mountains, rivers, and cities. The intention behind this construction is to visualize this cycle and broadcast it from Hyogo to the rest of Japan. ■ Project Overview Location: Near Kasuganomichi Station, Tsutsui-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe City Structure/Method: Wooden traditional construction method Total Floor Area: 350.62㎡ Timber Used: Tanba cedar, cypress, etc. Start/Completion: April 2026 / October 2026 Construction: Saeiken Co., Ltd. (FOREST GROUP) ■ Comments from CEO Tatsuo Adachi "I have been facing the wood of this land since my great-grandfather's generation. With over 100 years of involvement with the forests of Tanba, I am the fourth generation. Tanba has the headwaters of three rivers. The trees that protect the water in the mountains will become an office building in the city of Kobe. This building embodies the cycle of protecting people's lives from upstream to downstream. Choosing wood in an urban area where steel and RC are standard might be in the minority. However, we want to prove with 100 years of achievements that this choice is rational in terms of disaster prevention, the environment, and the regional economy. We will broadcast this petroleum-independent construction option from Hyogo to all of Japan."