What is Biophilic Design? Biophilia is the human love of nature. Biophilic design is the practice of consciously incorporating materials or spaces that reinforce our relationship with the living world into the…
shou sugi ban
Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building
We at Nakamoto Forestry North America are incredibly proud to have been a part of this innovative building design. The Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building in Newport, OR is a collaborative effort…
Top 4 Reasons You Should Use Yakisugi (Shou Sugi Ban) for Exterior Wood Siding Projects
Yakisugi, known as “shou sugi ban” in the west, is quickly becoming known worldwide as a great option for exterior wood siding. It’s inexpensive. It’s durable. It’s beautiful. It’s wholesome. But how…
Exterior Yakisugi Weathering: Years 1-3
Today I was getting ready to wash my yakisugi privacy wall in a spring cleanup and started noticing how it is weathering. Then I realized this is good content since weathering is…
Shou Sugi Ban Siding: Which End Of The Plank Is Crown-Up And Which End Is Roots-Down?
This post is trivial for most people and is written with traditional tradesmen in mind. You might need to be OCD and infatuated with wood to appreciate this. A little extra care during…
Nakamoto Forestry Yakisugi on a Zero-Energy Project
Our timberland management in Japan is focused on sustainability and our manufacturing side is focused on ethical products for healthy living, so we get excited about passive houses or other types of…
Shou Sugi Ban Wood Longevity Vs. Color Longevity
This is a long and technical one because this subject is important, complex, nuanced and fun. Owners Want Low Maintenance and Beauty Architects and owners come to us for siding that is…
An Outside-The-Box ADU Designed To Maximize Rental Income
We don’t get to meet many of our customers since we have an efficient distribution setup shipping directly throughout North America without a traveling sales team. That makes local projects super fun…
A Tour Of Japan’s Historic Yakisugi
We landed at Tokyo Narita earlier this summer on a cloudy Monday afternoon, legs sore from our ten-hour direct flight from Portland. It was my first experience in Japan, and I was…
Japanese Influence on Western Architecture Part 2: The Early Craftsman Movement
During the transition out of the 19th century and into modernity, Western architects started implementing Japanese architectural styles, details and thought. This was done to further their inspired vision. At the time,…