Japan guests get goods on B.C. wood

A delegation from Japan was treated to Township of Langley “omotenashi,” (hospitality) when staff from the municipality’s Permits, Licence, and Inspection Services Department showed close to two dozen international visitors how we provide accommodation for our elderly, utilizing wood products.

The Japanese guests included politicians, seniors’ facility owners and operators, architects, and members of the Japan National Council of Social Welfare.

In support of the Council of Forest Industries Canada, which is sponsoring and co-ordinating site visits, Township staff arranged a tour on Oct. 8 of Harrison Pointe, a seniors’ complex under construction on 216 Street near Fraser Highway.

The goal of the local tour was to show the Japanese officials the wooden buildings that are being created as a viable and cost-effective way of housing the aging population. Of particular interest is the 138-unit Harrison Pointe’s design, which features a dining room, several lounges, craft and activity rooms, a gardening centre, and outdoor terraces and roof decks.

Harrison Pointe is being built to energy efficient and environmentally friendly standards, utilizing the latest techniques in wood design and implementation.

The building is currently at a stage of development that gave the operating division of the delegation a physical perspective of space and arrangement of the building’s uses.

For the delegates with architectural and structural expertise, structural detailing implemented on the project was also clearly visible, showing methods used to overcome weather and earthquake seismic concerns in the Lower Mainland, specifically the use of plywood shear walls, hold-down devices, and building envelope design. Areas of Japan have similar weather conditions to the Lower Mainland, making this site visit the perfect fit for delegates to view and discuss their areas of interest.

This is the fifth delegation to be hosted by the Township of Langley, in partnership with the Council of Forest Industries Canada (COFI).

“As Japan’s population ages, there is enormous potential for Canadian companies to supply products and services to meet their demands,” said Kevin Bews of the COFI, who noted that 400,000 seniors in Japan are currently waiting for assisted living care. If the new seniors’ accommodations that are so badly needed in Japan were to be made of wood, he noted, it could further expand offshore markets for Canadian wood products.

The Township of Langley has been a willing participant in helping promote the development of primarily wood constructed buildings in Japan, and working to develop a relationship between Canadian design and building consultants with their counterparts in Japan.

“Wood is an environmentally-responsible and structurally-sound building material, and the Government of British Columbia wants to share that message with the world,” said Rich Coleman, MLA for Fort Langley-Aldergrove and the Minister of Housing and Social Development.

“Anything we can do to promote Canadian wood products and building ingenuity is good for British Columbia. I applaud the Township of Langley and Harrison Pointe for hosting this delegation.”

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