Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Builds Eco-friendly Studio Apartment Building

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), a leading heavy industries company, completed on March 8, 2011, construction of an environment-friendly studio apartment building for its employees in Ota Ward, Tokyo. The apartment, which was constructed by Ryoju Estate Co., a Mitsubishi Group company, employs a number of technologies to save energy and resources.

The apartment's environmental features include: a photovoltaic (PV) system; an Eco Sky Roof system that integrates the PV system with solar heat recovery for the apartment's assembly hall; unique outdoor light-emitting diode (LED) lighting and organic electroluminescent (EL) lighting, which are charged by solar power during the day and automatically light up at night; and solar-wind lighting that is stably charged by solar and wind power. It also uses phosphorescent panels that absorb solar and artificial light to glow without power when it gets dark. The kitchen employs an industrial-use heat pump water heater with a new compressor--the first of its kind in the world--capable of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by about 70 percent by using off-peak power.

Together with double-paned room windows, the adoption of wall and rooftop gardens to protect the building from sudden temperature changes will help cut CO2 emissions. The building also uses rainwater to water these greenery systems, trees, and plants, as well as for flushing toilets in restrooms.

The assembly hall will be used not only as a gathering place for employees who live in the apartment, but will also be opened for use as an exchange forum for the local community.

Mitsubishi Develops Rooftop Solar Unit to Supply 65% of a Household's Energy Needs (Rerated JFS article)
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Posted: 2011/06/30 06:00:15 AM