Sales performance increased tenfold in five years! Further sales expansion of membrane ceilings in line with increased disaster awareness

Taiyo Kogyo Corporation

(Tokyo headquarters: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo; Osaka headquarters: Yodogawa-ku, Osaka; President: Hidefumi Araki), a manufacturer of large membrane surface structures (tent structures) and other products, has commercialized ArchiCanvas, a new membrane ceiling that enables high-quality printing, which is becoming increasingly popular in various public facilities due to its consideration of earthquake resistance in buildings. ArchiCanvas,” a new membrane ceiling that enables high-quality printing, has been commercialized, and its full-scale sales began in August.

The market for membrane ceilings has been expanding, with sales increasing ^tenfold*1 in the past five years amid reports of falling ceilings in buildings following the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent earthquakes. The demand for earthquake resistance of buildings is increasing year by year.

The effectiveness of the membrane ceiling has been proven in past disasters. In the Tottori Chubu^Earthquake*3 in October 2016 ^, the Misasa Sports Center, located near the epicenter of the earthquake, was hit so hard that the board material on the lower wall of the stage collapsed, but the arena area, which had been renovated with a membrane ceiling, was not damaged.

Gymnasiums such as the Misasa-cho Sports Center have been reconstructed with disaster prevention in mind, as they serve as evacuation centers in the event of a disaster. On the other hand, for commercial facilities, hospitals, welfare centers, and other facilities where people gather on a daily basis and facility functions should be maintained in the event of an emergency, we would like to provide spaces that combine safety and directionality by realizing a ceiling with earthquake resistance.

Archi Canvas,” which was commercialized and launched in August, can print heavy materials such as wood grain, metal, marble, and Japanese paper on “light” membrane materials, making it possible to create spaces that are not only highly earthquake-resistant but also have a high design quality. This makes it an easy-to-use product for more facilities.

Taiyo Kogyo handles many disaster prevention products in addition to the Membrane Ceiling, including the McQuick Shelter, an emergency air tent that can be set up in a short period of time.

1 Calculated from our sales figures; the cumulative number of sales from 2014 to 2018 is approximately 10 times the cumulative number of sales from 2009 to 2013.
2 Functional Continuity Guidelines for Buildings that Serve as Disaster Prevention Centers, etc. https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/house05_hh_000726.html
*3 Tottori Chubu Earthquake Theepicenter was located in the central part of Tottori Prefecture at around 14:07 on October 21, 2016 ( Heisei 28). The earthquake occurred in the central part of Tottori Prefecture at around 14:07 on October 21, 2016.
The magnitude of the earthquake was 6.6 on the Richter scale, the depth of the epicenter was 11 km, and the maximum intensity was just under 6 on the Japanese scale.

Archi Canvas images were reproduced using actual photographs. If real wood is used for a ceiling taller than 5m, users of the facility will only recognize the brown color and will have difficulty recognizing the detailed wood grain, but Archi Canvas uses a unique printing technology and membrane material, However, Archi Canvas uses proprietary printing technology and membrane materials to enable facility users to recognize wood grain, Japanese paper, marble, and other patterns better than the real thing, even in the case of high ceilings.

Archi Canvas image based on actual results photos
(Yamagata Prefectural Yonezawa Kojokan High School)

Press photos
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Taiyo Kogyo Corporation
Corporate Communications (Public Relations): Niwa, Ueda, Takatani,
Phone: 06-6306-3033