Surprise Announcement: 'Pure Timber Hotel Asakusa Project' Designed by World-Renowned Architect Sou Fujimoto, Creator of the Grand Roof Ring

AQ Group (Headquarters: Nishi-ku, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture; President: Hiroaki Kato) held a symposium on the 19th of this month titled 'Can Medium-to-Large Scale Timber Construction Reach Everyone?'. The event featured experts leading the Japanese timber construction industry, including world-renowned architect Sou Fujimoto, who designed the Grand Roof Ring for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. The event drew significant attention from both the timber construction industry and various other sectors, with over 200 people filling the venue and more than 10,000 viewers tuning in via YouTube Live. During a press conference held on the same day, the company unveiled its first pure timber hotel project, 'AQ Hotel Asakusa (tentative name).' The announcement that the hotel will be designed by Mr. Fujimoto marked a milestone, signaling that the widespread adoption of medium-to-large scale timber architecture is becoming a reality. Medium-to-Large Scale Timber Construction as a 'Trigger' for Mass Adoption. Experts Discuss the Cutting-Edge Timber Market with Practical Examples Panel discussion featuring Japan's top runners in timber architecture

The event featured a panel discussion moderated by Yo Miyazawa, an illustrator and former editor-in-chief of Nikkei Architecture. Panelists included architect Sou Fujimoto, who served as the venue design producer for last year's Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai and designed the iconic Grand Roof Ring; Kiyonori Mitsui-dokoro, Honorary Chairman of the Japan Federation of Architects & Building Engineers Associations; Shunsuke Miyazawa, Chairman of the Japan Housing and Wood Technology Center; Masahiro Inayama, Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo and an authority on timber structures; and Noboru Yasui, a leading expert in fire prevention and safety research for timber buildings.