Environmental / Smart Technologies
Environmental / Smart Technologies
Amid global warming, there is a growing social demand for energy conservation. According to the “Energy Supply and Demand Report” (The Agency for Natural Resources and Energy), buildings consume 30% of all the energy in Japan. There is thus an urgent need to establish relevant environmental programs, regardless of the size of the building, new construction or renovation.
In the meantime, energy conservation methods are constantly evolving and so diverse that many of them are difficult in planning and execution—some do not work as expected if mismatched with operations.
Working closely with our clients, NCM leverages its extensive knowledge and experience with the environmental planning tailored to match the business plan of each client.
As the performance of buildings improves and user requirements become more sophisticated and diversified, evaluation criteria for buildings are shifting from the conventional approach of design, structure, and facilities, to more focus on “environment”, “health wellness”, and “safety”.
Various evaluation axes are deployed in certification systems, including ZEB (environmental performance), WELL (health), CASBEE, and LEED (overall performance). With many qualified professionals with specialized knowledge, NCM is always ready to meet the diverse needs of our clients.
What We Do
■Planning and consulting for energy conservation and environmental impact reduction
“Energy conservation” and “environmental impact reduction” cover a wide range of architectural methods, from the orientation and shape of the building, the type of window glass, eaves, insulation, to various high-efficiency equipment systems and the use of natural energy.
Now that predictive control using the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is beginning to be adopted for energy-saving control of air conditioning and lighting, instead of conventional feedback control.
Deeply understanding how buildings are used by the clients, NCM supports them with consideration for not only the construction or renovation itself but the operational phase and future updates. Based on our wealth of knowledge and experience, we assure you of a professional planning service designed for high environmental performance and return on investment.
■ZEB consulting
ZEB stands for “Net Zero Energy Building,” a building that combines energy conservation and energy creation to achieve a net zero or negative annual primary energy consumption. In the “Strategic Energy Plan” (Agency for Natural Resources and Energy), the goal is to achieve ZEB in new buildings on average by 2030.
The keys for ZEB implementation are thorough mastery of architecture and equipment and extensive knowledge of procedures, schedules, and costs for certification.
NCM provides support for both new construction and renovation, whether as part of a building plan or as a stand-alone ZEB.
■WELL consulting
The WELL Building Standard™ (WELL Certification) is a performance rating system that focuses on human health wellness. It consists of 10 concepts (air, water, food, light, movement, thermal environment, sound, materials, mind, and community) to support and improve human health through better buildings.
With the launch of the certification system, this indicator is expected to become more widespread in the future. NCM has a wealth of knowledge and human resources in the cutting-edge initiatives.
■Consultation on CASBEE and LEED
CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency) is a method for evaluating and rating the environmental performance of buildings. It is a comprehensive evaluation system for the building quality, including environmental friendliness such as energy conservation and use of materials/equipment with low environmental impact, as well as indoor comfort and consideration for the landscape. Systems similar to Japan’s CASBEE include LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a certification system developed in the United States.
NCM retains many certified CASBEE building evaluators and LEED APs. We use our expertise to provide consulting services for both new construction and renovation.
Experts
Osamu Yoshihara
Senior Director
Yukari Takehara
Director
Nobuaki Ishida
Director