Introducing CO2 Reduction Technologies at the Hulic Head Office Building
Photovoltaic power generation panels are installed on the rooftop, and rainwater is used for flush toilets. LED lighting systems are adopted in the entire building including office rooms. Brightness is adjusted with motion and brightness sensors. To improve heat insulation performance of exterior walls, Low-E pair glasses and wood blinds are used.
Natural Ventilation and Natural Lighting System Developed through Joint Research with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Natural Ventilation System
Hulic Head Office building introduced an unique natural ventilation system, jointly researched and developed with MIT in which air flows and other factors in the office area were meticulously simulated. This system automatically take in confortable cooler air from outside during seasonable intervals so that favorable conditions of office can be maintained even if the air conditioning is shut. In addition, annual energy consumption of the Head Office building is reduced by the introduction of this system. Furthermore, in order to realize the use of a natural ventilation system in a dense urban area, a silencer chamber is attached in the intake opening to minimize outside noise affecting inside work space.
Cross-Sectional View of Natural Ventilation
Natural Lighting System
Our natural lighting system uses specially shaped natural lighting anidolic louvers co-developed with MIT to capture constantly changing sunlight on the ceiling of rooms during changing seasons and times (elevation and orientation) without the use of power. Highly reflective metal panels are used for interior ceilings, which supply a consistent amount of pleasant natural light to the top of office desks. This system has been installed at the Hulic Head Office Building, Hulic Annex and some of development properties.
Image of natural lighting
Effects of CO2 Reduction
Calculations at the Hulic Head Office Building
CO2 can be effectively reduced by introducing such top-level environmental technologies. In CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency), BEE scored 3.3, corresponding to rank S.
- PAL(*)= 225 MJ/year m2 … Standard value of office buildings minus 25%
- ERR(*)= 35% … The highest class in the energy-saving performance standard of Tokyo metropolitan government
- CO2 emissions reduction= 40% reduction compared to an average office building in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's energy efficiency performance standards.
= CO2 emissions throughout the building's entire life cycle were reduced by 30%
- *PAL= An assessment indicator for the energy efficiency of building plans and envelope (exterior walls and roof, etc.)
- *ERR= Shows the percentage by which primary energy consumption has been reduced in facilities and systems
Commercialization of Environmental Technologies
Natural Lighting System (patent awarded)
The natural lighting system was developed as a result of a three-year research/development project that Hulic engaged in with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. With a specially designed natural lighting louver(anidolic louvers), it can take in a certain amount of sunlight to the ceiling surface of a room without using electricity in accordance with different seasons and times of day. The greatest features of this system are that it realizes a comfortable level of illuminance with natural light, which was previously unattainable, and also that it has a simple, maintenance-free structure even though it comes with a fixed type.
[Summary of patent]
Name of invention: Lighting louver unit
Registration No.: 6021103
Registration date: October 14, 2016
Photovoltaic Panels (patent awarded)
The special feature of Hulic’s photovoltaic panels co-developed with Taiyo Kogyo Corporation and Gifu Plastic Industry Co., Ltd. is that they are lightweight, freely designable, and easy to install. We realized a lightweight photovoltaic panel with high strength by using aluminum board and plastic-based honeycomb-panel material. Its weight is about half that of a conventional solar panel. The panel can be freely designed through customization and can be made in various shapes. Equipped with a sliding mechanism using a special metal fitting, it can be relatively easily installed. Thus, it can be installed even in a building with strict loading conditions such as in repairing works.
[Summary of patent]
Name of invention: Photovoltaic generation system and assembly method
Registration No.: 6018856
Registration date: October 7, 2016
Commercialization of Thin-layer Wall Greening System (patent awarded)
As a part of environmental business, Hulic jointly has developed with TOHO LEO CO., Ltd. and Daito Techno Green CO., Ltd. a wall greening system (thin-layer wall greening system) that can be easily installed in existing buildings. We completed development of the product and obtained a joint patent for it with three companies.
[Summary of patent]
Name of invention: Greening device and its method
Registration No.: 6460942
Registration date: January 11, 2019