TACT.T BRIDGE
Taisei Design Planners Architects & Engineers
ARCHITECTS
Taisei Design Planners Architects & Engineers
LEAD ARCHITECT
Masaharu Seki, Tomoyuki Wako
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
Yuji Isshiki, Naoki Hashimoto, Haruna Mori
CONTRACTOR
Taisei Corporation
MANUFACTURERS
Taisei Corporation
CLIENT
Taisei Advanced Center of Technology
PHOTOGRAPHS
Kazuhisa Adachi
AREA
102 m²
YEAR
2023
LOCATION
Yokohama, Japan
CATEGORY
Pedestrian Bridge
English description provided by the architects.
Architecture that contributes to promoting a decarbonized society through the expanded use of commercially available small-diameter timber and eco-friendly concrete.
At the Taisei Advanced Center of Technology in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, an innovative long-span pedestrian bridge built with commercially available small-diameter timber has been constructed.
The bridge, named TAC.T BRIDGE, constitutes a part of the rounding passageway interlinking the laboratory and office buildings dotting the premises, designed to enhance convenience of in-site mobility for researchers and as a place for a change of pace where they can feel the sounds of nature and breezes as well as enjoy the feeling of being surrounded by light and fragrance.
In recent years, there has been a growing return to timber construction across various architectural fields to make a sustainable society possible.
In the TAC.T BRIDGE project, efforts were made to overcome the weaknesses of wooden bridges by achieving long-span frames and improving durability and weather resistance.
By leveraging the strengths of small-diameter timber to improve constructability and replaceability, this project increases the potential for a return to timber construction even in the field of bridge construction.
Taisei's proprietary eco-friendly concrete, T-eConcreteÒ, has also been applied to bridge pier footings to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Commercially available small-diameter timber is primarily used in residential construction.
It has traditionally been considered that, unlike large-section glued laminated timber, commercially available small-diameter timber is not suitable for long-span construction.
Additionally, exposure to moisture and ultraviolet rays can lead to deterioration and cracking, so for outdoor use, ensuring weather resistance and durability has been a key challenge in using small-diameter timber.
In preparation for the construction of the TAC.T BRIDGE, therefore, a new type of bolt connection with stronger, stiffer, and more durable timber was developed, and a structural frame system combining wooden frames and prestressed frames was adopted to realize long-span (26 m) construction using small-diameter (120 x 120 mm) timber.
To achieve the high weather resistance and durability required for outdoor use of timber, wood protection coating material developed by Taisei (T-WOOD COATÒ) was used.
By taking advantage of small-diameter timber, which is lightweight and easy to construct, structural framing was also designed for easy replacement of structural members to extend the service life of small-diameter timber structures in outdoor applications.
This will broaden the range of applications for small-diameter timber, promote greater use of wood by increasing the options for wood structures in buildings, and contribute to the realization of a decarbonized society through the use of eco-friendly concrete as a building material.
