July 31, 2012
The World’s Least-CO2-Emitting Building now Open in TokyoOnly Emits 38 Kg/m2 per year
Shimizu Corporation, one of the largest general contractors in Japan, has completed work on a building that emits the world’s least amount of CO2. The building, which will be fully open on Aug. 1st, is the new Shimizu Headquarters located in Kyobashi, Chuo-ward, Tokyo. The state-of-the-art building emits only 38 kg/m2 of CO2 per year, 62% less on average than ordinary buildings in Tokyo. Since Japan has few natural resources such as oil or gas and has faced energy crises twice before, buildings there are designed to conserve energy. This is sure to increase the demand for construction of buildings like the new Shimizu Headquarters.
Shimizu has developed and adopted various technologies to reduce CO2 emissions. One representative technology is an air conditioning system that makes use of radiant heat. Water hoses run under ceiling boards like capillary vessels. By controlling the temperature of the water circulating in the hoses, the temperature of the celling board surface is controlled. As a result, a surface temperature of about 20 degrees absorbs the heat of people working in the office through a radiant effect. This system can reduce CO2 emissions by 30% compared with conventional air conditioning systems.
The lighting system also makes use of energy-efficient technology. Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting is fully adopted and controlled by motion sensors. Energy used for lighting in the daytime is generated by photovoltaic (PV) panels placed in the outer walls. The area of the PV panels is about 2,000m2 and generates 84,000 kwh of power per year. Furthermore, Shimizu has installed window shades that allow sunlight into the offices. The shade angle automatically changes to follow the sun and optimize natural light. These efforts make it possible to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% compared with standard lighting systems.
By the end of the year 2015, Shimizu will reduce CO2 emissions down to 70% through fine tuning of air conditioning and lighting facilities as well as adopting further energy saving systems. Finally, Shimizu will offset the remaining emissions by creating emission rights to realize Zero Emission Building (ZEB).
< References >
- Shimizu Headquarters
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| Location |
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16-1 Kyobashi 2 chome, Chuo-ward Tokyo, Japan |
| Scale |
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22 stories with 3 lower ground floors
Total Floor Area: 51,355m2
Building Area: 2,170m2 |
| Structure |
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Reinforced Concrete Structure with Base Isolation System |
| Designed & Built |
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Shimizu Corporation |
| Completion Date |
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May 15th, 2012 |
| Grand Opening (Full Operation) |
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August 1st, 2012 |
- Profile of Shimizu Corporation
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| Head Office |
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16-1 Kyobashi 2 chome, Chuo-ward Tokyo, Japan |
| Paid-in Capital |
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74,365 million Yen
(Year ended March 31, 2012) |
| Annual Sales |
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1,184,864 million Yen
(Year ended March 31, 2012) |
| Total Employees |
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11,137 (As of April 1st, 2012) |
| Branches |
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In Japan
Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba, Osaka, Kobe, Takamatsu, Sapporo, Sendai, Kanazawa, Saitama, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Fukuoka
75 other local offices |
| International Business Network |
: |
Operating in 24 countries; Overseas Head Office is in Singapore. |
The World’s Least-CO2-Emitting Building
Shimizu Corporation Headquarters
Information provided in this news release is current as of the date of publication. Please note that all such information is subject to change. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.
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