{"id":29099,"date":"2025-10-03T11:56:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T01:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=29099"},"modified":"2025-10-03T11:56:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T01:56:11","slug":"world-expos-grand-ring-to-be-recycled-into-quake-proof-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/world-expos-grand-ring-to-be-recycled-into-quake-proof-housing\/","title":{"rendered":"World Expo\u2019s Grand Ring to be Recycled into Quake-Proof Housing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The vast majority of timber in Oaska&#8217;s Grand Ring, the world&#8217;s largest wooden architectural structure ever assembled, will be dismantled and converted into housing<a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/how-japan-has-adapted-standards-to-make-its-buildings-quake-proof\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> as part of plans to help Ishikawa communities rebuild following the 2024 New Year&#8217;s earthquake.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We want to carry on the expo&#8217;s legacy and make it a symbol of our recovery,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2025\/10\/02\/japan\/expo-ring-timber-ishikawa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to a Suzu city official who spoke to Japan Times overnight about plans for the Expo site following the end of the six-month<\/a> exhibition. Wood Central understands that about 50,000 square metres of timber used in &#8220;the monumental ring&#8221; will be used in recovery efforts, with 200 metres (of the original 2-kilometre loop) to remain on the grounds as part of plans to preserve the Expo 2025 site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"3vAgOxDJzgY\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Japan Earthquake 2024 Live | Japan Tsunami Live News | Japan Earthquake Live | Japan News Live\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3vAgOxDJzgY?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The 2024 New Year&#8217;s earthquake caused widespread destruction across the Japanese city of Suzu. Footage courtesy of @CNN.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/expos-record-breaking-timber-ring-is-built-to-withstand-quakes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Earlier this year<\/a>, Wood Central revealed that the architect behind the Grand Ring, Sou Fujimoto, described the project as &#8220;a symbol of our times,&#8221; tapping into Japan&#8217;s rich history of wooden architecture, which dates back hundreds of years: \u201cHowever, we haven&#8217;t fully harnessed these natural materials to their greatest potential. (As a result) I have blended traditional design principles with cutting-edge tech to create the largest wooden structure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"846\" height=\"476\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5e4896966c9944fcf00890f4502605bf-1-fotor-20250318153726.png\" alt=\"Guinness World Records Official Adjudicator, ISHIGE Hiroyuki (Secretary General of the Association), FUJIMOTO Sou (Expo Site Design Producer) (Photo Credit: Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition)\" class=\"wp-image-24418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5e4896966c9944fcf00890f4502605bf-1-fotor-20250318153726.png 846w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5e4896966c9944fcf00890f4502605bf-1-fotor-20250318153726-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5e4896966c9944fcf00890f4502605bf-1-fotor-20250318153726-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5e4896966c9944fcf00890f4502605bf-1-fotor-20250318153726-696x392.png 696w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5e4896966c9944fcf00890f4502605bf-1-fotor-20250318153726-746x420.png 746w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5e4896966c9944fcf00890f4502605bf-1-fotor-20250318153726-640x360.png 640w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5e4896966c9944fcf00890f4502605bf-1-fotor-20250318153726-600x338.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 846px) 100vw, 846px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In March, the Grand Ring was officially crowned as the world&#8217;s largest wooden architectural structure. Here, the Guinness World Records Official Adjudicator,  ISHIGE Hiroyuki (Secretary General of the Association), is with Sou Fujimoto, the architect for the structure. (Photo Credit: Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/how-japan-adapted-standards-to-make-buildings-quake-proof\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">And with Japan leading the world in developing building standards that can withstand earthquakes<\/a><\/em>, about 70% of Japanese cedar and hinoki wood was combined with much stronger European red cedar and reinforced steel to make the giant wooden ring fully quake-resistant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" data-id=\"25500\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_7024-rotated.jpg\" alt=\"IMG 7024\" class=\"wp-image-25500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_7024-rotated.jpg 480w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_7024-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_7024-315x420.jpg 315w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" data-id=\"25499\" src=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_7019-rotated.jpg\" alt=\"IMG 7019\" class=\"wp-image-25499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_7019-rotated.jpg 480w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_7019-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/IMG_7019-315x420.jpg 315w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">A view inside the Giant Ring \u2013 where timber thousands of timber pieces are connected using a a traditional woodworking method known as Nuki joints \u2013 a nail and screw free construction technique. (Photo Credit: Andrew Dunn)<br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In total, the ring measures approximately 615 meters in inner diameter, 675 meters in outer diameter, 30 meters in width, and 12 meters in height, utilising traditional Nuki joints \u2013 a building system commonly found in Japanese shrines and temples. \u201cInside, massive wooden beams hold up the sloped roof, which doubles as the skywalk, protecting thousands of visitors from the weather,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/japans-expo-is-a-playground-for-timber-engineers-heres-why\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to Andrew Dunn, the CEO of the Australian-based Timber Development Association, who described the ring as a playground for timber engineers.<\/a> \u201cFrom the highest point, you can take in the complete circular form of the structure, with pavilions from around the world gathered both inside and outside the ring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To learn more about the Grand Ring, which in March was awarded as the world record as the world&#8217;s largest wooden architectural structure by the Gusiness Book of Records, <a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/record-broken-expos-grand-ring-is-worlds-largest-timber-structure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">click here for Wood Central&#8217;s special feature.<\/a> And to learn why engineers are now developing new shock absorbers that will help buildings bounce back faster from quakes, <a href=\"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/bouncing-back-from-quakes-new-tech-a-lifesaver-for-timber-buildings\/\">click here for Wood Central&#8217;s special feature.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The vast majority of timber in Oaska&#8217;s Grand Ring, the world&#8217;s largest wooden architectural structure ever assembled, will be dismantled and converted into housing as part of plans to help Ishikawa communities rebuild following the 2024 New Year&#8217;s earthquake. &#8220;We want to carry on the expo&#8217;s legacy and make it a symbol of our recovery,&#8221; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25497,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[3,38,52,37,33,2,32,46,39,45,44,31],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[70],"class_list":{"0":"post-29099","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-architecture","8":"category-architecture-and-design","9":"category-asia","10":"category-building-and-construction","11":"category-editors-picks","12":"category-featured","13":"category-global-news","14":"category-industry","15":"category-mass-timber","16":"category-sustainability","17":"category-sustainable-forest-management","18":"category-top-stories"},"authors":[{"term_id":70,"user_id":2,"is_guest":0,"slug":"jason","display_name":"Jason Ross","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/J-Ross-headshot.jpeg","url2x":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/J-Ross-headshot.jpeg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29099"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29101,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29099\/revisions\/29101"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29099"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=29099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}