Timber Frame Home Reconstruction After the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake with a Community Asset Focus

In 2016, Kumamoto was struck by two earthquakes. My condominium was destroyed, so we decided to search locally for a new section to build a home. The place we chose was a rich in groundwater so we thought to use it and so contributed to our hometown. The first floor would be an example of disaster relief architecture by using it as a public bath, and would provide water in times of disaster. The second floor would be our private home with no bath, we would use the public bath as ours. This report describes our construction process during which first floor ceiling was assembled using superimposed openwork beams of thinned wood. We designed the damaged structure to bear any subsequent earthquake. Since the remaining seismic capacity of a couple of nearby RC buildings dropped to about 60%, the analytical model for subsequent earthquakes assumed a reduced bearing capacity and an effective structural frame. The roof was designed using CLT arches. The joints have close fitting butterfly-shaped timber connectors without metal. Connector bending tests were performed. After the earthquake, construction costs skyrocketed. To reduce costs we took charge of site supervision, carpentry, and became the public bath operator. All this as a direct result of strong feelings for my hometown.