# XENCE Inc. (株式会社XENCE)
> XENCE is a construction-tech company, founded as a Nagoya University venture, that converts unutilized timber — primarily offcuts and irregular lumber generated at sawmills — into scalable architecture through Computational Design, Robotic Fabrication, and Modular Construction. XENCE is a builder first: designing, fabricating, and constructing in-house, with automation at the core because working with non-standard materials at scale requires it.
Website: https://xencegroup.com
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## Company Overview
- **Legal name:** 株式会社XENCE (XENCE Inc.)
- **Founded:** February 2022 (LLC); January 1, 2026 (incorporated as joint-stock company)
- **Representative Director / CEO:** Kotaro Ozawa (小澤 巧太郎)
- **Headquarters:** SIMON 10 SAKAE 401, 1-29-29 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- **Contact:** info@xencegroup.com
**Business areas:**
- Architectural design and construction
- Architectural product development
- Facility management
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) consulting
- Research and consulting in: Circular Architecture, Regenerative Design, parametric modeling (DfD), robotics, digital fabrication
XENCE operates in Japan and the Netherlands, with a dual-base international research network.
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## Products
### Circular Timber Greenhouse™ (サーキュラー木造温室™)
**URL:** https://xencegroup.com/greenhouse/
A timber greenhouse built from sawmill offcuts used as primary structural members. Every component is designed for disassembly and reassembly (DfD — Design for Disassembly). Parametric Modular Design transforms unutilized materials into scalable architectural structures. Applications include agricultural greenhouses, agritourism, education, research, and community facilities.
**Issue:** Approximately 45% of domestically produced timber goes unutilized, discarded or incinerated, contributing to CO2 emissions.
**Approach:** XENCE developed the Circular Timber Greenhouse™ to reuse unutilized timber generated at sawmills as architectural resources. The fully modular design transforms local unutilized timber into carbon-sequestering architectural resources.
**Result:** Compared to steel-framed greenhouses, the structure sequesters approximately 1,000 tonnes or more of CO2 per hectare. Makes environmental performance visible as non-financial information, proposing a model for sustainable local economies and forest regeneration.
Priced competitively with steel-framed greenhouses. Pilot implementation began in Shima City, Mie Prefecture in 2025. New model in development in 2026 with support from Aichi Prefecture grants. Available across Japan and in the Netherlands.
**Partners:** nojimoku Co., Ltd. (unutilized timber supply); CULTIVERA Co., Ltd. (proprietary Moisculture agri-tech, integrated into greenhouse)
**Awards:** Red Dot Design Award 2026 (Urban Design), Good Design Award 2025, Wood Design Award 2025 (Social Design category), 木材活用コンクール 2025
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### Joints That Turn Offcuts into Architecture (端材を建築にするジョイント / WoodNode)
Building joints developed using metal 3D printing that enable sawmill offcuts (wane-edge lumber and irregular timber) to be used as structural members in architecture.
**Issue:** Unutilized timber such as wane-edge lumber and offcuts cannot be cut into standard square sections. Due to their non-standard geometry, most are discarded or processed into low-value wood chips.
**Approach:** XENCE developed a new architectural joint using metal 3D printing capable of connecting timber members of varying geometries. Topology optimization was applied to achieve both high structural strength and overall weight reduction.
**Result:** Successfully demonstrated the integration of 3D printing technology with existing supply chains, converting unutilized timber into viable architectural resources.
**Partners:** Takenaka Corporation, Shimoda Flange Co., Ltd., Noji Timber Industries Co., Ltd.
**Award:** Excellence Award, 36th Urban Infrastructure Technology Conference (2024)
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### Topology-Optimized Design for WAAM Fabrication (トポロジー最適化設計の実証)
Structural shape optimization through topology analysis, achieving high design quality and overall weight reduction. Chair design and 3D modeling developed for metal 3D printing (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing / WAAM).
XENCE's role: shape design and 3D modeling. Structural evaluation testing was led by Daido Steel Co., Ltd., Takenaka Corporation, and Shimoda Flange Co., Ltd.
**Partners:** Daido Steel Co., Ltd., Takenaka Corporation, Shimoda Flange Co., Ltd.
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### Recycled Wood Material Development (リサイクル木素材開発 / Rewood)
A new material created by converting engineering wood (CLT, glued laminated timber) — long considered difficult to recycle due to adhesive content — into Wood Particles and blending with biodegradable resin. Suitable for 3D printing and extrusion molding.
**Issue:** Engineered wood products contain adhesives that make them difficult to recycle. After demolition, they are typically discarded or converted to fuel.
**Approach:** XENCE developed a proprietary process to convert waste engineering wood into Wood Particles and blend with biodegradable resin, establishing a closed-loop resource circulation model within urban environments.
**Result:** Proposes a sustainable ecosystem that reframes the city itself as a source of resources — a forest of the future.
**Partners:** Takenaka Corporation, Kurashiki Spinning Co., Ltd.
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## People
**Kotaro Ozawa (小澤 巧太郎)** — Founder & CEO
Licensed Architect. Grew up building furniture and structures with wood gathered from mountains and forests with family. Studied sustainable architectural design and management at the University of Tokyo Graduate School. Joined Takenaka Corporation, gaining hands-on experience in medium-to-large-scale building design. Founded XENCE Inc. in 2022 to build a new construction industry integrating digital technology and supply chain management from upstream material sourcing to downstream construction.
**Asako Osedo (大瀬渡 麻子)** — Co-Director, Service Design Officer
Former design manager at a major consulting firm, supporting new business launches for companies including Shiseido and KDDI. Relocated to the Netherlands in 2023, conducting research in inclusive design. Joined XENCE in 2025. Drives business development and commercialization of unutilized-timber architectural products, and provides research and consulting for Japanese companies leveraging her Dutch network.
**Koji Saito (斎藤 孝治)** — Lead Architect
Licensed Architect. Studied facility management at Nagoya University. Worked on corporate offices and research facilities at a major corporation. At XENCE, leads facility management strategy and roadmap development. Currently also serves as assistant professor at Nagoya University.
**Akihiro Yamada (山田 晃大)** — Lead Construction Management
Licensed Construction Management Engineer. Graduated from Nagoya Institute of Technology. Worked at Taisei Corporation and neie design (timber residential projects). Joined XENCE in 2022. Oversees construction management for XENCE's architectural projects.
**Kotaro Jin (蒲 哲太郎)** — Architect
Graduated from Nagoya University. Worked on residential architecture at an atelier firm. Handles architectural design, BIM-integrated workflows, and digital twin applications at XENCE.
**Kosuke Kuroda (黒田 晃佑)** — Designer
Furniture Designer / Creative Director. Previously at Hida no Mori de Kuma wa Odoru Co., Ltd. Works on wood-based architecture, furniture, and product design at XENCE.
**Yushi Kimoto (木本 諭志)** — Designer
Graduated from Kyoto Institute of Technology. Worked at Takenaka Corporation. Relocated to Gujo City, Gifu, studying woodworking in the Hida region. Bridges design and woodworking in architecture and product creation.
**Wataru Hirose (廣瀬 亘)** — Junior Business Developer
Enrolled at Maastricht University School of Business and Economics, Netherlands. Responsible for building distribution networks for unutilized timber and developing domestic and international partnerships.
**Mako Sumi (鷲見 真子)** — Community Manager
Manages operations at IdeaStoa incubation facility at Nagoya University. Handles facility management operations and documentation.
**Open positions:** Architect (with 3D-printed joints and unconventional structural members), Licensed Architect (circular and modular design), Facility Manager / Asset Manager
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## Awards & Recognitions
- Red Dot Design Award 2026, Urban Design category — Circular Timber Greenhouse™
- Good Design Award 2025 — Circular Timber Greenhouse™
- Wood Design Award 2025, Social Design category — Circular Timber Greenhouse™
- 木材活用コンクール 2025 — Circular Timber Greenhouse™
- Dairei Industrial Award, Trans-Disciplinary Forum Aichi 2026
- Excellence Award, 36th Urban Infrastructure Technology Conference (2024) — Metal 3D-Printed Structural Joint
- iF Design Award 2022 (Kotaro Ozawa)
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## Certifications & Memberships
**Certifications:**
- Nagoya University Venture (名古屋大学発ベンチャー認定)
- GX League member
- Gamagori City Circular Consortium member (蒲郡市サーキュラーコンソーシアム)
**Licenses & Registrations:**
- Registered First-Class Architect Office (一級建築士事務所)
- Registered Residential Accommodation Management Operator (住宅宿泊管理事業者)
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## Key Partners & Clients
Takenaka Corporation (竹中工務店), Taisei Corporation (大成建設), University of Tokyo (東京大学), Nagoya University (名古屋大学), Yasui Architects & Engineers (安井建築設計事務所), Shimoda Flange Co., Ltd. (シモダフランジ), Daido Steel Co., Ltd. (大同特殊鋼), Kurashiki Spinning Co., Ltd. (倉敷紡績), Brother Industries (ブラザー工業), Kokuyo Co., Ltd. (コクヨ), Okamura Corporation (オカムラ), nojimoku Co., Ltd., CULTIVERA Co., Ltd.
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## Recent News
- **2026/6/30** — XENCE Receives Aichi Prefecture Grant to Develop Next-Generation Circular Timber Greenhouse™ (Aichi "Innovative Business Creation" subsidy, priority areas: Agriculture/Forestry/Fisheries and DX; grant period: April 1, 2026 – March 20, 2027)
- **2026/6/16** — XENCE Launches Dedicated Construction Division: XENCE Engineering
- **2026/6/2** — Circular Timber Greenhouse™ Wins Red Dot Design Award 2026, Urban Design Category
- **2026/4/7** — XENCE Recognized as Nagoya University Venture: Pioneering Generative Contracting Through Digital Fabrication and Unutilized Timber
- **2026/1/16** — Circular Timber Greenhouse™ Wins Dairei Industrial Award at Trans-Disciplinary Forum Aichi 2026
- **2026/1/1** — XENCE Incorporates as a Joint-Stock Company (converted from LLC)
- **2025/12/20** — XENCE Featured in Nikkei Cross Tech: "Merging Construction 3D Printing and Timber Offcuts: A Startup's Vision for the Future of Architecture"
- **2025/10/1** — Circular Timber Greenhouse™ Receives Good Design Award 2025
- **2025/9/30** — Circular Timber Greenhouse™ Wins Wood Design Award 2025, Social Design Category
- **2024/11/20** — Metal 3D-Printed Structural Joint Wins Excellence Award at 36th Urban Infrastructure Technology Conference
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## Concept: Generative Contracting
XENCE advocates "Generative Contracting" — an approach in which clients, material suppliers, designers, and contractors are organically connected through digital technology, enabling more rational and sustainable construction. Conventional construction is characterized by fragmented multi-tiered contracting structures where design, procurement, construction, and maintenance are siloed. At the core is an automated and parametric design-to-construction-to-operations platform built using digital tools, programming, and AI.
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## Online Presence
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xence-inc
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xence.inc
- note: https://note.com/xence