Net Zero Roundtable No.3 – Japanese Mass Timber from Design to Build

In 2025, TranDuc's "NetZero Roundtable" talk show series has returned with a special change in venue. Unlike previous sessions, this year's programs will be held at Vietnam's “green” projects, aiming to further promote the spirit of sustainable architecture.

On March 6, 2025, TranDuc Corporation, in collaboration with the Institute for Building Science and Technology (IBST) and Life Design Kabaya Co. (Japan), successfully organized the event “Japanese Mass Timber from Design to Build” at the IBST Hanoi wooden model house - the first project in Vietnam awaiting NetZero certification.

The wooden model house at IBST Hanoi - the first project in Vietnam awaiting Net Zero certification

We were honored to welcome leading experts in the architecture and construction industry:

- Dr. Nguyen Hong Hai (Director of IBST)

- Mr. Kubota Kentaro (President of Life Design Kabaya)

- Architect Le Truong (President of TT Associates & Vietnam Interior Design Association)

- Architect Nguyen Huy Hien (Technical Director of TranDuc Corporation)

The speakers discussed the challenges and opportunities of using wood in construction in Vietnam, and shared practical experiences from completed projects. In particular, the event highlighted the outstanding advantages of Japanese mass timber construction, from aesthetics and sustainability to rapid construction speed

The talkshow featured leading experts in the field, including directors, architects, and engineers

At the beginning of the talk show, Dr. Nguyen Hong Hai, Director of the Institute for Building Science and Technology (IBST), gave an assessment of the general situation of wood projects/projects using wood structures in Vietnam. He pointed out the remaining difficulties of wood, such as material quality (termites, warping, cracking...), load-bearing capacity, and fire resistance... concerns that make architects and investors hesitant to use wood materials for their projects. This limited use has led to wood components not being widely used in Vietnam, although in developed countries, projects using wood components are very common.

After the general assessment, Architect Le Truong, Chairman of the Vietnam Interior Design Association, a familiar face in Vietnamese architecture, shared very practical stories from his own experience of applying wood materials to his “artwork”: “Wood is a sustainable material and I have a special fondness for it. I always want to incorporate wood into my projects, but I still cannot convince investors that in Vietnam, wood can meet all the requirements of other materials, such as load-bearing capacity and fire resistance…”, Architect Le Truong, Chairman of the Vietnam Interior Design Association, shared.

Architect Le Truong shared his experiences in applying wood materials to his “artwork”

As someone who has designed and constructed many wood projects, Architect Huy Hien provided information about the Ecopark Hung Yen project: “This can be considered the largest project using wood structures in Vietnam. We spent a year developing all the plans to convince the investor to use wood structures. For us, the actual situation of the project is a success. At the end of 2024, Hanoi experienced Typhoon Yagi, and according to the information we received, many old trees were broken in the project area, but our building using wood structures remained solid.”

In addition to load-bearing capacity and fire resistance, a major advantage of wood structures was also mentioned by Mr. Kubota Kentaro during the conversation: the installation time of wood structures in the project. They presented a video recording of the wooden model house where the program took place, with an area of 192m2, and Life Design Kabaya completed the roof and frame of the project in just 32 working hours (8 hours/day). The images clearly demonstrated the outstanding advantages of wood structures.

At the event, Dr. Nguyen Hong Hai announced that IBST had been assigned by the Ministry of Construction to develop design standards for wood structures, with support from Kabaya and TranDuc. TranDuc's representative, Architect Huy Hien, also shared plans to collaborate with Kabaya to develop 3-5 bedroom wooden house models in Vietnam, contributing to the promotion of sustainable wood architecture trends."

The speakers and guests took commemorative photos at the talkshow

Beyond theory, they delved into every aspect, from initial design to practical construction and operation, providing a comprehensive and inspiring view of the increasingly relevant green architecture trend

NetZero is a long journey, and wood structures will surely open up a new future for Vietnam's Architecture and Construction industry. Let's look forward to “NetZero Roundtable” No. 4 at the next “Green” location, where we will continue to explore and spread sustainable architectural solutions!