Company builds homes meant to withstand earthquakes, fires in Inland Empire

A company is building homes in the Inland Empire that can withstand some of the most massive earthquakes and wildfires. It’s an idea built from a thousand years of Japanese culture and decades of design research.

The Kobe earthquake on Jan. 17, 1995, killed over 6,000 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of buildings. Over 20% of the offices in Kobe’s central business district were rendered unusable, and over half the houses in that area could no longer be lived in.

From that devastation came the inspiration for stronger, safer homes that are now making their way to Southern California.

“It’s a very, very unique and special opportunity for home buyers in California to have a home that is really designed to take whatever California can throw at it,” explained Roger Gannon, the COO of Sekisui House U.S.

Gannon says Sekisui House is one of the world’s largest homebuilders, and it’s subsidiary company, Shawood, is redefining what homes should be in the U.S. He says, unlike conventional homes held together by nails, Shawood’s framing consists of a series of wooden posts, beams and metal joints that are pre-cut and designed to fit perfectly together for strength and design flexibility, leaving a home that can withstand extreme weather and natural disasters.

“There was a tremendous effort put into building homes that they knew with 100% certainty could withstand what Japan had to deal with, with common earthquakes and typhoons and that sort of thing,” Gannon said. “From that, it just continued to develop into a more holistic design approach to homes.”

In laboratory testing, the Shawood homes are tested up to a 9.0 earthquake. The exterior wall panels combine ceramics with technology to create a new type of tile resistant to scratches, moisture and fire.

Shawood homes have already been built and sold in Temecula and now Eastvale — hoping to deliver safety first, but also a home that brings happiness to the family within.

“Not only the technological point of view and what the home can do to protect the family within it, but also how it makes them feel day to day and promote their health and their mental well-being — all of those things are important to us,” Gannon said.