O
redevelopment of the area. The
company established the OMY Area
Redevelopment Project Promotion
Council” in 1988, and in 1996 the
Tokyo metropolitan government,
Chiyoda city and the East Japan
Railroad company joined the council to form the OMY Area Urban
Development Society.
The OMY Area Management
Association was also established to
solicit participation of workers and
visitors, and to promote comprehen-
sive urban development through pri-
vate and public partnerships. The
OMY environmental vision, pub-
lished in 2007, deals with various
aspects of environmental issues—
everything from large-scale problems
to something more familiar, with an
eye on creating a future “sustainable,
environmental, symbiotic city that
leads Asia and the world.”
One of the typical area-wide efforts
is proactively making grounds, walls
and roofs green. Parts of the new
Marunouchi Building, for example,
have green walls that block direct
sunlight and lower temperatures of
the interior and the surrounding
areas. Some sidewalks in the area are
also equipped with “dry mist” spray-
ers, which lower ground temperature
when the water evaporates. There is
an old custom of sprinkling water
in front of your house to prevent
rising temperatures and to cleanse
the home, according to Shinto reli-
gion. Such customs may have faded
today, but the principle of cooling the
ground using vaporization remains
an effective countermeasure to heat.
sustainable developments have been
initiated in recent years, incorporating cutting-edge technologies and
serving as models for Japan’s green
future. Below are some examples.
Otemachi, Marunouchi, Yurakucho
(OMY) Area Joint Development
The OMY area in Tokyo has been
supporting economic growth as a
representative of the international
business center of Japan. Mitsubishi
Estate Co., Ltd. has been playing
a major role in development and
system requirements
one of the reasons Japan has been reluctant to embrace sustainability is
the current lack of an evaluation index. The Comprehensive assessment
system for Building environmental efficiency (CasBee), an index similar to the u.s. green Building Council (usgBC) leadership in energy and
environmental design (leed) program, has been developed but not yet
disseminated. in the u.s. real estate market, properties with a high leed
certification are often considered to be more valuable, but there has been
no indication in Japan that the CasBee evaluation will be reflected in its
market value. Japan is at the stage of learning how to make its market
aware of the profitability, cost performance and marketability of sustainable
properties and to spread CasBee.
The CoMPaCT douBle-sCreen is a window sys TeM Tha T deCreases solar
radia Tion hea T. oPening and Closing The isola Tion daMPers Con Trols The
airflow and MaxiMize energy savings.
PHOTOGRAPHY © MORIKUNI KONO, CPM®
Marunouchi Park Building
The 39-floor Marunouchi Park
Building, which opened in April of
2009, is one of the most cutting-edge green facilities in Japan. The
building rooftop has a 6,296 square-foot garden that helps to lower temperatures throughout the structure,
as well as photovoltaic panels with
a maximum output of 60 kilowatts
(kW). These solar panels can store
enough power to light the entire
Marunouchi Park Building district
at night. The building also features
energy-efficient district air conditioning, which handles cooling, heating and fueling by supplying cool
