Initiatives for Biodiversity

Biodiversity Guideline

Hulic recognizes the importance of biodiversity's impact for the living environment, and in order to contribute to biodiversity, we have created the Declaration of Biodiversity Conservation (Hulic's Biodiversity Guidelines) which has been well communicated within our Group.
Furthermore, we have been cautiously executing our businesses that our business should not create any negative impacts on biodiversity and endangered species.

Approaches to JHEP Certification

We are also working to ensure that we consider ways to conserve and restore local vegetation during reconstruction of properties from the standpoint of preserving biodiversity. We adopted the JHEP certification system issued by Ecosystem Conservation Society-Japan to quantitatively evaluate and promote biodiversity conservation initiatives. A total of 11 properties have been certified across the entire Hulic Group (as of December 31, 2023).

Greening Initiatives

As a part of our measures against global warming, we have put emphasis on greening of surrounds, rooftops, and walls which can effectively ease the heat-island phenomenon as well as making buildings more energy efficient.

Promotion of Greening of Surrounds, Rooftops and Walls

Our greening projects aim to create lush green urban spaces as well as to harmonize with nature with much consideration to biodiversity. When greening surrounds, we primarily select plants that are easy to care and resistant to strong winds so as to improve the scenery and appropriate for location. Roof greening reduces the air conditioning loads on the top floor and saves energy in buildings by blocking sunlight and preventing heat accumulation in concrete. Covering the exterior walls of a building with plants serves as a countermeasure against the heat island effect as well as comforting for passersby. Hulic has jointly developed with other companies a thin-layered wall greening system that is easy to introduce to existing buildings.

Hulic JP Akasaka Building (completed in November 2020)

This property is a medium-sized office building facing Sotobori-dori, jointly developed by the Company and Japan Post Real Estate Co., Ltd. It is located in the middle of a lush area comprising the Imperial Palace, Akasaka Imperial Palace and Hibiya Park, all of which are home to living creatures in the center of Tokyo. By greening the rooftop and walls, Hulic JP Akasaka Building will serve as a relay point for living creatures to move between habitats, contributing to the formation of an ecological network in the city and the promotion of biodiversity in the heart of Tokyo.

This building received highest rank of “S” in CASBEE-Wellness Office^* certification (issued by Institute for Built Environment and Carbon Neutral for SDGs). Greening the rooftop and walls will enable office workers to sense the four seasons even while in the center of the city.

• *Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE) assesses the specifications, performance, and initiatives of buildings that support the health and comfort of building users, factors that contribute to intellectual productivity improvement, and the performance of safety and security.

Initiatives at the Hulic Head Office Building

On the rooftop garden of Hulic Head Office Building, seven kinds of plants including Canarian ivy and evergold are used to cover the wall surface, surrounding terrace benches for approximately 20 people, and provide a transpiration effect to ease the heat-island effect. With this green wall over approximately 106㎡, the rooftop garden is a space where employees can relax and rest, and feeling nature while working in Tokyo.
Various trees such as European privet, Japanese boxwood, agapanthus, fuiriyaburan, and gazania have been planted on the rooftop of the expanded building of the Hulic Head Office. In addition, we have placed recycled woods and grown a lawn on the surface.