PanaHome combines eco-friendliness with universal design

From the Taipei Times in Taiwan on July 7:

The air in houses built by PanaHome Corp, a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co and Matsushita Electric Works Ltd in Japan, is filtered to be pollen-free, keeping residents from ordinary allergens. Its walls are made out of diatomaceous earth, which works as a natural desiccant or humidifier to keep the house moist, but not too damp. Its wooden floors are tested to be sound-proof. Along with broadband equipment and high-tech electronic appliances, PanaHome houses are not only technologically smart, but also eco-friendly.

“[PanaHome’s] wooden floors are made of 100 percent recycled wood pellets. But with the company’s own glue formula and compressing techniques, they are as solid as teak wood,” said Shih Da-chien (施大千), a manager at Farglory Group’s (遠雄集團) digital research and development division.

Recycled wood pellets help preserve the environment by reducing the use of lumber, he said.

“It is estimated that we may help save forests equivalent to the size of 135 Tokyo Dome stadiums each year,” Shih said.

PanaHome houses are also famous for their functionality, Shih said.

“I am most impressed by the deco and design within bedrooms to help people sleep well because most people nowadays suffer from sleeping disorders,” said Dai Chia-yu (戴家玉), a home designer with Champion Interior Design & Layout (沁品室內設計). Dai said that after the on-job training, she would like to bring these new residential concepts back to her clients in Taiwan to improve their quality of living.

Shih and Dai were two of 17 corporate members that Farglory sent to receive three-day training seminars at Matsushita in the middle of last month to learn about the concept behind PahaHome, or so-called EU houses, which stress the importance of being environmentally friendly with a universal design to suit all ages.

“This is a home that is suitable for a newborn to a centenarian,” said Farglory chairman Chao Teng-hsiung (趙藤雄) during his inspection tour at Panahome in Osaka late last month.

“It is also a home to stay in for as long as 50 days or 100 years,” he said.