Sommers Bend, Sekisui House’s First SHAWOOD Community in the U.S., Wins Top Honor at the 9th JAPAN Construction International Award
First detached-home community development to receive the Award of Excellence
in the Construction and Development Project Category

Sommers Bend, Sekisui House, Ltd.’s first SHAWOOD community development in the United States, has received the Award of Excellence in the Construction and Development Project Category at the 9th JAPAN Construction International Award (Honored by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), organized by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). This marks the first time a detached-home community development has received the award.
Located in Temecula, California, Sommers Bend is a community of detached homes. The project extends to the United States Sekisui House’s integrated system—developed in Japan and spanning R&D, design, production and procurement, and construction management. By combining the company’s proprietary S-MJ construction system with local 2×4 building methods, Sekisui House has established a highly replicable framework for consistently delivering high-quality homes.

The project was also recognized for its broader contribution to sustainable community development beyond the homes themselves. Key initiatives include environmentally conscious, disaster-resilient homes featuring ZEH specifications and highly durable materials; the transfer of technology to and development of local talent; and educational outreach through the Experience Center.

Sommers Bend Model Homes and Community

The JAPAN Construction International Award was established in fiscal 2017 to recognize “Quality Infrastructure” projects and other initiatives involving Japanese companies overseas. It aims to strengthen the presence of Japanese companies in international markets and support their further global expansion. The Construction and Development Project Category covers overseas architectural, civil engineering, and development projects in which Japanese companies participate through planning, design, construction, construction management, operations, development, or the provision of technology.

■ Award-Winning Project: U.S. SHAWOOD Business, Sommers Bend Project
Location: Temecula, California, United States
Project Overview: A 57-lot community of detached homes, where sales of SHAWOOD homes began in 2024. Sommers Bend has earned significant recognition in the U.S. housing industry. In 2024, it received a SoCal MAME Award and the highest honor at the PCBC Gold Nugget Awards. In 2025, it received Gold Awards—the highest honor—in four categories at The Nationals: community, two model homes, and sales center.

■ Evaluation Highlights
● The use of highly durable structural components, together with ZEH homes equipped as standard with solar panels and battery storage systems throughout the community, combines design flexibility with disaster resilience and environmental performance, earning high praise from customers.
●The development of local talent capable of precision construction, together with the transfer of technical expertise, ensures consistently high housing quality over the long term.
● Sekisui House has managed the project comprehensively from the land-development stage and communicated its initiatives through model-home tours and open-day events. These activities have built trust with local residents, while the community as a whole serves as a showroom where visitors can experience the performance of the homes and the principles behind the community’s design.
●Drawing on research and testing conducted at its own research facilities, as well as expertise gained through disaster response, Sekisui House has developed long-lasting homes with exceptional disaster resilience.
●The project uses certified timber sourced with due consideration for legality and biodiversity. It also promotes pre-cutting in component processing to reduce material waste generated at construction sites, thereby contributing to environmental conservation.

■ Project Features

(1) Extending Japan’s Integrated System to the United States
Sekisui House coordinates every stage—from R&D and design to production and procurement and construction management. Standardized procedures and rigorous quality control at each stage enable the consistent delivery of high-quality homes.
(2) Combining Proprietary Technology with Local Building Methods
The project combines the S-MJ construction system—an evolution of Japan’s traditional post-and-beam method—with locally sourced 2×4 lumber. This creates safe, secure, and comfortable homes with expansive spaces and large openings that connect indoor and outdoor living areas.
(3) Balancing Environmental Performance and Resilience
In addition to reducing material waste through factory pre-cutting and pre-setting, every home meets ZEH specifications and comes standard with a solar power generation system and battery storage system.
(4) Transferring Technology to Local Talent
English-language construction manuals and videos, hands-on training in the United States, and training opportunities in Japan help improve construction quality and develop local talent.
(5) Community-Focused Communications
Through the Experience Center and site tours, Sekisui House provides accessible explanations of SHAWOOD’s proprietary structural system, Bellburn ceramic exterior wall panels, and its environmental initiatives.

Experience Center

Interior of the Sakura Model Home at Sommers Bend

■ SHAWOOD Expansion in the United States
Sekisui House first introduced SHAWOOD in the United States with Chōwa, a concept home exhibited at the International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas in 2020. This was followed in 2021 by Talon Ridge, a six-home pilot project. At Sommers Bend, the company achieved its first community development at a scale and price point suited to mass production. Through collaboration with local builders, Sekisui House continues to address the needs of the United States. market and plans to expand SHAWOOD primarily along the West Coast, with the goal of supplying 3,000 homes annually by 2031.

Guided by its global vision to “Make Home the Happiest Place in the World,” Sekisui House will continue to pursue happiness through housing while contributing to the creation of high-quality housing stock and disaster-resilient, sustainable communities.

About the 9th JAPAN Construction International Award: https://www.mlit.go.jp/JCIA/en/award/
About Sommers Bend: https://shawood.com/community/sommers-bend/
Global SHAWOOD website: https://www.sekisuihouse-global.com/shawood/