The Canada Wood Tokyo office recently visited the newly completed 8-storey headquarters of the AQ Group in Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture. This group, known for their Acura Home brand, has developed an all-wooden building using technology refined in residential construction. Selecting the right building materials was crucial to achieving a wooden building at a realistic cost. A wide variety of wood products were used, including engineered products such as LVL beams and glulam, as well as Canada Tsuga (hemlock). Canada Tsuga was chosen for its resistance to bending and high nail retention attributes. As an example of using the right product in the right place, Canada Tsuga was used for rafters to support the roof and heavy solar panels placed on the rooftop. By using this strong species in this application, they were able to strengthen the roof and increase the span between members, thereby reducing lumber usage and cutting costs. [This article was featured in the current Canada Wood newsletter]