Mitsui Home Hokkaido Selected to Build Five Timber Police Boxes in Sapporo and Eniwa
Mitsui Home Hokkaido Co., Ltd., a regional operating company of Mitsui Home Co., Ltd., has been selected by the Hokkaido Prefectural Police as the contractor for the FY2025 Buy-Back Model Police Box and Police Substation Development Program. Under the program, the company will construct five timber police boxes (kōban) in Sapporo City and Eniwa City.
The project will adopt box-type modular units utilizing CLT (cross-laminated timber) for the structural frame, achieving enhanced safety, environmental performance, and shorter construction periods. This marks the first time for the Mitsui Home Group to deliver timber police boxes.
Of the five buildings, four will be located within Sapporo City (Higashi, Kita, Shiroishi, and Kiyota wards) and one in Eniwa City. Two buildings will be two-story structures and three will be single-story. By installing factory-assembled modular units on site, the construction schedule will be shortened by approximately three months compared with conventional methods. All buildings are scheduled to be delivered by the end of April 2026, three months ahead of the contractual deadline of July 2026.
The project will actively utilize locally sourced Hokkaido timber: Todomatsu fir for substrates, Japanese larch for structural plywood and LVL, and white birch for built-in furniture. Structural construction will be carried out by Saijo Sangyo Co., Ltd., a local construction firm. Thermal insulation performance will meet HEAT20 G2 standards.
Since its founding, Mitsui Home has delivered more than 250,000 timber buildings, with cumulative carbon fixation estimated at approximately 3.82 million tons (equivalent to about 7.5 million cedar trees). In 2023, the company launched its timber-focused SDGs initiative, the “MOCX Green Project,” promoting the use of timber in mid- to large-scale buildings. In the field of timber public and institutional facilities, Mitsui Home has accumulated more than 5,700 projects, ranking among the industry leaders.
Although Hokkaido has the largest forest area in Japan, the average timber utilization rate in public buildings from FY2015 to FY2020 stood at 17.5%, ranking 19th nationwide. The prefectural government is promoting timber and wood-based construction for public facilities under its “Hokkaido Regional Timber Utilization Promotion Policy,” and this project is aligned with those policy objectives.
Key Facts
Owner: Police Mutual Aid Association, Hokkaido Branch
Project Name: FY2025 Buy-Back Model Police Box and Police Substation Development Program (Phase I)
Design, Construction Management and Construction: Mitsui Home Hokkaido Co., Ltd.
Structure and Scale: Five buildings (single-story and two-story), timber construction using CLT-based modular units
Construction Period: Late December 2025 to late April 2026 (planned)
Property Name: Higashi Police Station Motomachi Police Box
Location: 15-19, Kita 24-jo Higashi 18-chome, Higashi-ku, Sapporo
Number of Floors: 2F
Property Name: Kita Police Station Asabu Police Box
Location: 335-5, Kita 39-jo Nishi 5-chome, Kita-ku, Sapporo
Number of Floors: 2F
Property Name: Shiroishi Police Station Hokuto Police Box
Location: 11-2 and 11-3, Kitago 4-jo 13-chome, Shiroishi-ku, Sapporo
Number of Floors: 1F
Property Name: Toyohira Police Station Kitano Police Box
Location: 354-17, Kitano 4-jo 5-chome, Kiyota-ku, Sapporo
Number of Floors: 1F
Property Name: Chitose Police Station Megumino Police Box
Location: 23-6 and 23-9, Megumino Nishi 1-chome, Eniwa City
Number of Floors: 1F