A high-rise hotel with upper levels made of wood has opened in Sapporo, and operator Mitsubishi Estate Co. said most of the lumber used to construct the 11-story building was sourced from Hokkaido.

The top three stories of the Royal Park Canvas Sapporo Odori Park hotel are made of wood, while the 8th story is a hybrid construction of reinforced concrete and wood, and the first seven floors are made of reinforced concrete.

The company hopes the hotel, which opened on Friday, will promote environmental issues such as decarbonization and local production for local consumption.

About 80% of the lumber used in the construction for beams and walls was produced in Hokkaido, and cross-laminated timber was used for the floors to ensure the structural strength.

The company built the nation’s first hybrid wooden high-rise condominium in Sendai in 2019. It set up a company last year to supply building materials made from domestic timber together with a major construction firm and other companies.

Wood building materials have a lower carbon footprint than reinforced concrete. For this reason, the company hopes to increase the number of wooden buildings in the future.

Construction of mid- and high-rise wooden buildings is expected to increase in the future, following the enactment of legislation in October to promote the use of domestic timber in private buildings that made it easier to receive support from the national and local governments.

(Source: The Japan News | Pic: Construction, BAKOKO)