Japanese Joinery and the Future of Timber: Fibre to Fibre

This book explores the rich legacy of Japanese timber joinery and examines how advanced robotic timber fabrication methods can benefit from the ancient art of wood-only connections. It blends historical insights with captivating imagery and interviews with industry experts.

Japanese Joinery and the Future of Timber: Fibre to Fibre explores the rich legacy of Japanese timber joinery and examines how advanced robotic timber fabrication methods can benefit from the ancient art of wood-only connections. It blends historical insights with captivating imagery and interviews with industry experts. The book is split into three chapters, with each chapter further subdivided into sections. The first chapter reveals the secrets of traditional Japanese joinery, featuring ancient temples and expert craftsmen. The second chapter studies advanced fabricators and engineers in Europe who operate in the world of engineered timber construction but also choose to exploit timber-only connections in their work. The first two chapters contain case studies of two 7th century Japanese buildings and two 21st century Swiss buildings, the comparisons between them revealing similarities across the millennia. The third and final chapter features conversations with luminaries from the industry, including Pritzker Prize-winner Shigeru Ban, renowned architect Kengo Kuma, and Japan’s most revered carpenter Mitsuo Ogawa. The book advocates for merging old techniques with new, aiming to design sustainable timber structures devoid of nails or screws. This approach not only reduces carbon footprint but also facilitates easier disassembly and reassembly, prolonging the lifespan of buildings and simplifying maintenance. Japanese Joinery and the Future of Timber: Fibre to Fibre promises to enlighten readers with its poetic narrative, vivid photography, and engaging interviews, inspiring architects, engineers, and craftsmen to embrace timber-only joinery for a more sustainable future.