Sakura Kozo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Sapporo, Hokkaido; President and CEO: Shinichi Tanaka), Japan’s No. 1 company by structural design sales, has launched “Select Wood,” a new timber construction service designed to deliver dramatic cost performance for mid- to large-scale buildings. The company has built a top-tier track record in cost optimization for reinforced concrete (RC) and steel-frame (S) buildings. After five years and eight months of research, Sakura Kozo is entering the timber construction market to complete a consulting structure that covers all structural types. From a neutral position unconstrained by any specific construction method or structural category, the company aims to offer “true optimization plans” that prioritize project success for business owners facing severe construction cost inflation. Sakura Kozo has previously focused on proprietary methods for RC, S, and WRC structures, accumulating more than 10,000 design projects. Recently, however, the company has received an increasing number of serious inquiries from clients whose original RC or steel-frame plans no longer fit their budgets due to soaring steel prices and construction delays. The company says it had intentionally avoided actively taking on timber projects until it could be confident that timber construction could deliver seismic performance and economic efficiency surpassing other structural types. While steel prices remain at record highs, timber prices have been relatively stable, and growing environmental awareness has increased expectations for mid- to large-scale timber buildings. In practice, however, such buildings often remain expensive symbolic projects limited to major corporations or public works, creating an opaque market with limited price competition. Sakura Kozo says it has now successfully transferred its structural frame optimization know-how to timber construction, making timber a realistic cost-optimization option for ordinary buildings such as four- to five