A wooden workspace that we assemble ourselves
~The first nationwide trial of "Tsunagi" to promote the use of timber~

On June 28, 2020, “Tsunagi,” a wooden modular unit developed by Nikken Sekkei Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: President and CEO; Tadao Kamei) that anyone can easily assemble, was installed for the first time in Japan at the Tokushima Prefectural Government Office, marking the start of a pilot program for a wooden workspace.This initiative was carried out in collaboration with the Tokushima Prefectural Government to explore and implement the use of wood in office spaces, and the company will continue to evaluate its usability and the benefits of a wood-based environment. Through this effort, the company aims to further promote the use of wood and thereby contribute to the conservation of Japan’s forests.

This wooden unit can be easily assembled, disassembled, and moved using small-diameter timber. The basic unit, consisting of solid timber corners, connecting members called clamps, and wheels for movement, can be easily assembled in about 30 minutes by "anyone, anywhere in Japan." Using the same components, it can be transformed into a desk, shelf, bench, planter, and more, and used for a variety of purposes. It was developed by Nikken Wood Lab (hereinafter referred to as Lab), a team at Nikken Sekkei that conducts research and development on wood and wooden structures, with the aim of promoting the use of wood, which is essential for forest conservation in Japan.

At the Project Promotion Office of the Smart Forestry Division in the Tokushima Prefectural Government Office, a total of 14 units—including 11 Private desks, one conference table (seating four), and two shelves—were assembled and installed by prefectural government employees and members of the Tokushima Prefectural Federation of Timber Cooperatives themselves. The work took a cumulative total of about three days during the month of June.The project utilized approximately 210 meters of 60mm-thick Tokushima cedar—a locally sourced timber—and approximately 50 meters of 100mm square lumber, for a total of about 2 cubic meters.
Since installation, user feedback regarding design, versatility, and convenience—which will serve as a basis for future improvements to the “Tsunagi” office—has been collected, while other departments within the prefectural government have also expressed interest in using the system.
Half of the floor where the space was installed remains a conventional non-wooden area. Nikken Sekkei, in cooperation with the Tokushima Prefectural Government, is considering conducting a pilot study to verify the advantages and disadvantages of both the wooden and non-wooden spaces and to explore their physical and psychological effects.

In Tokushima Prefecture, to pass on the benefits of our forests to future generations through the use of wood, we are promoting a “prefecture-wide wood utilization campaign” that encourages residents to touch, learn about, use, and share the benefits of wood. This time, to allow the prefectural government itself to experience the value of wood firsthand and widely promote “wood utilization,” we have partnered with “Tsunagi,” a brand that offers products anyone can assemble and use, to conduct a pilot project to incorporate wood into the prefectural government offices.
*Wood Utilization Campaign: An initiative promoted by the Forestry Agency since 2005 to raise awareness of the importance of using wood and to expand the use of domestically produced timber. (From the Forestry Agency website)

Tsunagi is a flexible product that can adapt to changes in use and environment. In addition to its use in offices like this time, we are considering its use as a temporary medical unit to increase the number of examination booths and patient rooms in medical facilities as a measure against COVID-19, as well as for residential use such as private booths for working from home and isolation booths at home, and commercialization plans through collaboration with other industries. The unit installed in the Tokushima Prefectural Government office this time can be reconfigured as needed into counters, sofas, private booths, etc.
On the other hand, in order to widely promote the use of wood, it is necessary to develop clamps that fit commercially available timber. In this trial, we are using off-the-shelf clamps for steel pipes, so the timber is cut to fit the clamps. We are currently developing clamps that match the sizes of timber commonly available, and once completed, we plan to offer a product that includes both timber and the dedicated clamps as a set.

- Tokushima Prefectural Government Smart Forestry Division Project Promotion Office (Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture): Joint implementation of office wood utilization trial, assembly of Tsunagi units
- Tokushima Prefectural Timber Cooperative Federation (Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture): Ordering of connecting timber units, timber procurement, assembly of connecting timber units
- Emachu Lumber Co., Ltd. (Chuo-ku, Tokyo), Shinohara Shoten (Nerima-ku, Tokyo): Structural experiments, mock-up production, etc.

Nikken Sekkei is a professional services firm that provides architectural design and supervision, urban design, and related research, planning, and consulting services.
To date, the Nikken Group has undertaken over 25,000 projects across the entire organization, spanning approximately 250 cities in about 50 countries overseas.