The majority of facilities at the Japanese government’s Showa Base in Antarctica have been built by Misawa Homes. The climate there is extremely harsh, with temperatures as low as -50 Celsius and wind as high as 60 meters per second. The Antarctic facilities are based on our wooden panel adhesion system, the same system we employ for wooden homes in Japan. The “monocoque” single-shell housing system is durable and comfortable even in such a harsh environment. The expertise we have acquired from building in Antarctica is fully utilized in our homes.

Japan’s Showa Base in Antarctica

All Misawa Homes are certified as “Century Housing System (CHS) Type 60” homes by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. With proper maintenance and renovation, the lifespan of these homes could be as much as 100 years.

Japan has many earthquakes, and, in fact, about ten percent of the largest earthquakes in the world hit Japan. Misawa Homes’ wooden and ceramic homes both have earthquake-resistant structures. Our wooden homes are characterized by the joining of load-bearing panels face-to-face, each using adhesives and creating a solid “monocoque” system. Our HYBRID ceramic homes are made up of capsule units in a rigid-frame structure. Both structures, as a single shell, support most of the force or load applied, such as one generated by an earthquake. Full-scale seismic tests conducted on both systems have proved their strength, winning the highest anti-quake grade under the Housing Quality Assurance Law. None of our homes collapsed or suffered serious damage in the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.

Full-scale MGEO tests

Misawa Homes’ pursuit of safety and comfort is never ending. The company has developed a next-generation earthquake control system, “MGEO,” Misawa Homes Governance System for Earthquake Control. According to full-scale vibration tests, MGEO reduces the displacement of a structure by up to half and shortens the vibration convergence by half. The system remains valid regardless of the number of times it has operated. MGEO-H is for our HYBRID ceramic homes and MGEO-R for the open market. The MGEO protects your home and prolongs its lifespan.