What is functional: Smart ideas and smart planning needed for smart structures

Considering the issues surrounding modern-day society, there is no need to stress the importance of being environmentally friendly.

Indispensable to modern-day life, electricity and other forms of energy have brought about great abundance and change to our way of life. On the other hand, however, the scarcity of resources has now become a global problem.

The world population is said to have reached seven billion in 2011, and consumption of resources will likely continue to increase as the population grows. Some reports claim that human lifestyles already require 1.5 times the earth’s resources, and that that figure will increase to twice the earth’s resources in 2030.

At any rate, there can be no doubt that humanity today is continuing to use up the resources that the earth has produced over the course of its 4.6 billion-year lifespan. It goes without saying that we cannot sustain today’s lifestyles on into the future without making some changes.

In addition to providing an environment shoppers can enjoy in comfort, Komatsu believes that we need to keep in mind energy resources and the global environment, and act intelligently, shrewdly using only that which is required.

One of the measures we’ve taken at Ginza Komatsu is to install energy-saving escalators that slow down when they are being used by only a few people. We’ve also outfitted the emergency stairwells with sensors that detect the presence of people so that the lighting comes on automatically only when necessary. In order to contribute to the greening of the city, we have installed a roof garden.

Striving to reduce garbage, collection fees for garbage coming from tenants and offices have been levied based on weight, with waste being separated into the following sixteen categories: combustible and non-combustible waste, raw garbage, cardboard, bottles, cans, plastic (PET) bottles, Styrofoam, office paper, newspapers, magazines, scrap paper, fluorescent lights, light bulbs/non-standard lights, dry-cell batteries, and waste oil.

For the complex’s air conditioning, we have used Lossnay element total heat exchangers that make it possible to achieve both energy-savings and comfort. A Lossnay element is a total heat exchange ventilator that only performs ventilation through the loss-free recovery of heating and cooling energy.

However, in order to avoid inconveniencing shoppers, the lighting on floors where customers shop is kept bright enough for customers to be able to make out products and properly see where they are walking. The garbage disposal area in the basement is also kept at a cold temperature, preventing odors from rising.

Some may feel this will not save electricity, but, when considering social responsibility, a company must not allow its environmental efforts to be detrimental to the customer.

The term “mottainai” (wasteful) has come into frequent use again as a catch phrase for economizing and energy savings, but that term isn’t part of Komatsu’s mind frame. That’s because to us it goes without saying that we will give it our all, using everything that we have, and when you give it your all, there is no waste.

To achieve smart structures, you need smart ideas and planning.

The merit of reducing running costs through the air conditioning facilities and savings on electricity is that our tenants will of course pass these savings on to customers, who, after all, are the ones actually using the facilities. Ginza Komatsu aims to improve its buildings in sync with the technology of the times so that they develop into even smarter structures.