Ideas for creating a comfortable space that harmonizes with wood

In recent years, the use of wood in construction has been attracting attention as a way to realize a carbon-neutral society by 2050. The Kumamoto Tokio Marine & Nichido Building (2020) uses wood from Kumamoto Prefecture for its structural and interior materials, making it a building that contributes to the local community and promotes the appeal of wood from the prefecture.

The aim of this project was to create a space where people can feel closer to wood by harmonizing architectural facilities such as lighting and air conditioning with a design that makes the most of the characteristics of wood.
Here we will delve into the design approach of air conditioning vents.

The entrance hall, where visitors first come, is entirely made of cedar wood for its walls and ceiling. The lighting and air conditioning vents are unnoticeably installed in the walls, enhancing the spatial quality unique to wood while at the same time creating a comfortable environment.

The windows in the office are lined with earthquake-resistant studs made of steel and wood with a laminated timber surface, and the ceiling is also made of wood, giving the entire office a warm atmosphere. Since installing a typical metal air outlet on this ceiling would ruin the atmosphere created by the wood, we created an air outlet using the same wooden panel as the ceiling.

The wooden panels have many small holes, and the conditioned air that flows into the chamber box installed behind the panel is blown out from these holes at a low wind speed. The low wind speed makes it difficult to feel an unpleasant draft (air current), which leads to improved comfort for workers. Also, one of the concerns about wood's warping due to moisture is the nature of the wood material, but the wooden panels in this project are 18mm thick to prevent the effects of moisture.

In order to determine the detailed specifications for the wooden panel's air outlets, we conducted a demonstration experiment with the cooperation of a manufacturer. We prepared wooden panels with multiple patterns of air outlets with different hole sizes and placements, and visualized the air flow coming out of each.

If the wind speed coming out of the wooden panel is too fast, the air current feels too strong, and if it is too slow, the air does not disperse and remains there, resulting in poor air conditioning. Through repeated demonstration experiments, we determined the optimal specifications for the wooden panel, which provides just the right air current and allows air to be blown out evenly from the entire panel. We actually sat under the air outlet on-site and experienced the comfortable air current.

Through these experiments, we were able to create an office space with a comfortable air-conditioned environment around the windows. The client has now arranged wooden furniture to match the space, which was created with the utmost care down to the equipment and facilities required to create an atmosphere unique to wood, and the space is now used as a workspace where people can hold meetings while looking out over the city.