AS THE US INFRASTRUCTURE CRUMBLES AND UNEMPLOYMENT MOUNTS, THE GOVERNMENT RESPONDS BY CUTTING FUNDING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND SERVICES FOR THE POOR. JAPAN IS JUST AS BROKE AS IS THE US, BUT IT KEEPS SPENDING MONEY ON INFRASTRUCTURE, EDUCATION, AND HEALTH, THEREBY LIMITING UNEMPLOYMENT AND KEEPING FUTURE MEMBERS OF THE JAPANESE MIDDLE CLASS EDUCATED AND HEALTHY.

Blogger's Note: In 2001 - 2002 I spent 10 months at Tokyo Institute of Technology as an Invited Professor of Research. During that time I was housed on the Ookayama campus, a 10 minutes walk from the building in the picture, which was not even under construction at that time. Every morning I took the train that is seen curving to the right on the first leg of my 40-minute commute to TIT's main laboratories in Yokohama, where I was given an office. The trains ran frequently and on time.

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The Environmental Energy Innovation Building Completed in Ookayama Campus

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When you take the Tokyu Ooimachi line between Jyugaoka and Ookayama, you will come across a huge building covered in black panels just after you pass by Midorigaoka station.

This is the new Environmental Energy Innovation Building built in Ookayama campus, which was just completed this February. This building, which will be used for the research of cutting edge environmental energy technologies, is an unprecedented building with energy systems that not only reduce CO₂ emissions by 60% or more but also provide sufficient electricity to cover the building’s own consumption. Energy conservation is achieved through highly efficient equipment, and power is generated via dense installation of solar panels around the building and a highly-efficient fuel cell system in a hybrid distributed power generation system of renewable energy and fossil energy.

The building is also built around a seismic response-controlling structure capable of withstanding large earthquakes, which is achieved by forming a strong “basket-frame” of earthquake energy dissipation braces along the perimeter zones of the building. The building’s architecture harmoniously blends these advanced functions with the surrounding urban space.


Basic Information

• Name:

Green Hills Building 1 (Environmental Energy Innovation Building)

• Location:

2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo

Ookayama Campus, Tokyo Institute of Technology

• Seven stories above ground and two below
• Gross area:

1,741.85 m²

• Gross floor area:

9,553.57m²

• Completed:

February, 2012

• Power Generation capacity:

650 kW of solar cells and 100 kW of a fuel cell with waste heat utilizing equipments

• Number of Solar Panels:

4,570

• Fundamental concept:

Inter-Departmental Organization for Environment and Energy,

Tokyo Institute of Technology

• Design architect:

Yoshiharu Tsukamoto laboratory (Architecture),

Toru Takeuchi laboratory (Structure),
Manabu Ihara laboratory (Environment and Energy)

• Design:

Facilities Department, Tokyo Institute of Technology / Nihon Sekkei, Inc.

• Construction:

TODA Corporation, DAI-DAN Co., Ltd. and Yurtec Corporation

Find the longer story here.