Web特集
February 10, 2009
Series: Focus on Paint Market in Japan
Features of architectural coating and spray system in 2008
Development on long-lived building started in full swing. For 200-Year House concept that establish the recycling-based society through generations and much different from current life cycle cost viewpoint, the coating and spray system play an important role. Paint industry should engage strongly 200-Year House business led by general contractors and homebuilders.
The number of housing stock is increasing yearly. The statistics show stock number of housing in 1998 was 44.4Mio units, it has continued to increase, 53.9Mio in 2005 and 56.4Mio in 2007. Therefore, we have huge demand in repair market. Following this trend, paint coaters mainly shift to repair market for several years and general contractors and homebuilders strongly focused on this market.
Even though the demand grows, price competition gets more severe because lots of players come to the market. In order to get an order by competitive price, players may plan the work by unclear cost estimation and it cause poor performance. This is potential concern but this risk is actually getting realized. It is socially interested and important how to develop long-lived building and improvement of asset value.
What is "200-Year House"?
In 2006, Basic Law for Housing Life was established. This accelerates the movement such as "Quality over Quantity" and "Housing policy focus on stock" which takes consideration to full stock number or declining birthrate and growing aging population. Furthermore, "200-Year House Vision" based on this law was made in 2007.
This vision means the establishment of high-quality house capable of recycling use for very long term. 200-Year is a symbolic word, indicates "long-lived". It doesn't simply aim at durable house for 200 years. It needs various measures combined with the maintenance, distribution, house loan and social infrastructure. This momentum is expected to become strong from now on.
As one action for this movement, public project leading the establishment of long-lived house have been proposed. During first application period, from April 11 to May 12 2008, 603 projects were applied. 40 projects, which include 29 of new and 4 of repair building, were finally approved. This project don't only seek for the house which is capable for long-lived building as hardware but place more emphasis on "the house deserved to be long-lived", "the house providing continued living circumstances" and "the house capable to be social property". In addition, regarding the maintenance, it requires a scheme to achieve the maintenance based on the plan and further consider the matrix to maintain the scheme for long term.
It is said paint industry don't belong to 200-Year House scheme, but this concept can show future vision of paint in repair market.
Advantage of functionality and maintenance
Regular maintenance is essential for long-lived building. In other words, we can conserve a building for a long time by regular maintenance. Long-term plan including reconstruction is important. Especially for apartment house, It has a very powerful influence on fall in asset value.
Paint coaters said, "In case of apartment house it is not easy to do the reconstruction because a consensus-building among residents should be needed. Individual cost share is big and it is difficult to focus each thought. If it takes long discussion, repair time will be delayed and that finally lead the deterioration. If repair plan is concluded earlier, many proposal could be possible."
Now, 200-Year House concept is not common, so 50-year or 100-year basis repair plan may look unusual. But, General contractors and homebuilders show clearly an approach based on 200-Year House concept, so customers (ie. residents) have been interested in this. Therefore, unique proposal beyond existing scheme makes customers motivated. For long lived house the role and responsibility as final job coaters expands, they need to evaluate not only spray work but also the brandering or building frame.
The paint and spray system play a significant role of material. Maintenance coating is not required to renovate the film but to add new performance (weatherability, functionality and well-design) in terms of asset value improvement. It should be more capable than protection of the building.
Main coating for external wall shits to silicone resin base from urethane. For several years, fluorine-containing paint have been progressively approved. In addition, inorganic paint is developed, the weatherability have been improved. In terms of the reduction of LCC, high-quality paint tends to be applied for long time and it keeps with the concept of 200-Year house. The treatment of brandering also takes important role. The arrangement of crack, rust and surface has a big influence on the film performance and appearance.
It has an advantage to appeal better cityscape or scenery by color coordination. For long-lived house, the landscape should be considered and the paint is efficient because of easy color change on demand. The public project, previously described, aims toward new scheme which is required not only to secure the existing district plan but to create and maintain well-designed town coordinated with the scenery.
"200 year" means long devolution to next and further generation. As current life of Japanese house is said to be 30 years, "200-Year house" will raise a revolution of our life style. It should respond not only to the deterioration of building but also to the change of living circumstances. In Japan, there is few people living in big town who intend to live same house for a long time and show an interest in existing home market. However, we see clear direction toward long-lived building, therefore, potential paint and spray system would have good opportunity to expand the market.
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