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  Exterior wall that brings out high-quality character

  A piece of earthenware, born from earth, fire and glaze.
  Used in Japan and certain other markets, our original Bellburn ceramic exterior wall panels were created from the idea of using this unique texture and feel for the exterior walls of houses.
  Made by the same process as pottery, each tile has its own unique characteristic.
  Warm but powerful, soft and beautiful earthenware.
  This is an exterior wall with a truly one of a kind character.

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  Superior maintenance capability

  The exterior walls form an extremely important part of a house, not only from the standpoint of beauty but also of maintaining the building.
  Bellburn suffers almost no changes or loss of color even in harsh weather conditions, and can retain its beauty from when it was brand new, minimizing the trouble and cost of long-term maintenance.

• Earthquake resistant exterior walls

  Bellburn has been tested in earthquake experiments, and has been proven to withstand the largest earthquakes with no major damage.
  With its originally developed attachment method, it has been confirmed that there is no cracking or displacement despite repeated tests.
  Thanks to the high-performance sealing material used in the connecting joints, the risk of gaps forming has been mitigated over the long-term.

• Resistance to fire (1)

  Fired at a high temperature of approx.
  1100°C, Bellburn has strong fire resistance capabilities, similar to pottery.
  Areas of the house covered in Bellburn can withstand temperatures of 840°C, which is the typical temperature of a fire in an adjacent house.

• Resistance to fire (2)

  The outside of a house is exposed to roughly 1,500°F (840°C) temperatures when there is a fire in a wood framed house 3 meters away, but with our fire-resistant cladding, the inside of the wall is kept to below 212°F (100°C), well below the flame point of wood, which is 500°F (260°C).
  
  

  

Preventing moisture, and improving the durability of the whole house

In order to maintain a house over the long-term, it is important to maintain the structure.
With wooden houses, it is especially important to prevent internal condensation in the walls and other enclosed portions of the structure.
SHAWOOD houses are constructed by first installing the roof and then working on the interior, thereby leaving no moisture.
By securing the airtightness of the envelope and leaving no gaps, moisture is prevented from entering the inside of the walls, and even if moisture does enter, it is discharged promptly.
In order to discharge moisture that enters from outside, SHAWOOD developed the Dual Ventilation System, with 2 air layers inside the walls.
By creating a passageway of air on the outside as well as the inside of the structural plywood, moisture is discharged using the natural upward flow of air.
Moreover, air passageways have been designed in locations such as the attic, under the floor and balcony, where moisture tends to accumulate.
Even if moisture ends up entering, the whole house discharges the moisture, improving the durability of the building.

Thinking of homes as part of the community

Sekisui House is pursuing the concept of Keinen Bika, or creating a landscape that grows more beautiful over time.
Keinen Bika means to create communities that blend in with the natural environment and scenery, to build durable houses using materials that do not deteriorate over time, and to consider the environment to create a rich and lively community that strikes the balance with a cyclical life that harmonizes with the environment.
The Keinen Bika community-building is not just about pursuing asset value, but nurturing the community with the local society, valuing the balance with the intrinsic ecosystem of the area, and creating a sustainable community in which everyone can live comfortably in the generations to come.