Mitsui Fudosan Has Formulated the “Mitsui Fudosan 9BOX Infection Control Measure Standards”

October 1, 2021
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd

< Key Points of this Press Release >

1. Formulated the “Mitsui Fudosan 9BOX Infection Control Measure Standards”, which will be shared across the Group and are effective against COVID-19 variants

  • Formulated unique infection control measure standards for the Mitsui Fudosan Group consisting of three transmission routes X three control measures, based on medical and engineering knowledge overseen by specialists.
  • Will not only apply basic infection control measures across all facilities developed and managed by the Group, but share them with society overall, and promote safe and secure neighborhood creation.

2. Moreover, proactively implement the “Advanced Measures” harnessing cutting-edge technology

  • In addition to these standards, will proactively introduce the “Advanced Measures” by harnessing cutting-edge IoT and other technologies according to facility characteristics.
    Will aim to reduce the risk of infection even further.

Tokyo, Japan, October 1, 2021 – Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, announced today that it has systematically compiled the “Mitsui Fudosan 9BOX Infection Control Measure Standards” (“the standards”), which will be applied uniformly as measures against COVID-19 at all facilities*1 developed and operated by the Mitsui Fudosan Group.

Although the state of emergency was ended nationwide yesterday, COVID-19 has imposed various kinds of restrictions on our daily lives for a long time and continues to have a severe impact on social activities, due in part to the spread of variants such as Delta. The Group has so far carried out thorough measures to prevent COVID-19 infection according to facility characteristics. However, amid the prolonging pandemic, it considered the necessity for easily understood infection prevention measures based on the medical and engineering knowledge it has accumulated so far so that its facilities could be used with peace of mind even if a new variant were to spread in the future, and has now formulated the standards to be shared across the Group.

Furthermore, in addition to the standards, Mitsui Fudosan will proactively introduce advanced measures with the aim of reducing the risk of infection even further by harnessing advanced IoT and other technologies according to facility characteristics and improve their resilience. The facilities developed by the Group cover a wide range including office buildings, retail properties, hotels, resorts, logistic centers, and homes, and are comprised of multiple types in some cases. By presenting the standards as measures that are easy to share not only within the Group but with all of society, it hopes to help solve society-wide issues.

Mitsui Fudosan will continue working to achieve a sustainable society through safe and secure neighborhood creation.

*1 Excluding some facilities; for example, temperature measurements to test for infected persons will not be implemented at housing facilities such as condominiums

1. Overview of the “Mitsui Fudosan 9BOX Infection Control Measure Standards”

(1) Process of formulating the “Mitsui Fudosan 9BOX Infection Control Measure Standards”

After the first state of emergency was declared in April 2020, the Mitsui Fudosan Group implemented infection control measures to protect the safety of customers and employees at each facility while sharing information related to measures within the company. Additionally, when signs of a third wave of infections began to appear in December 2020, Mitsui Fudosan created a company-wide COVID-19 control measure team, collected information about infection control measures in an integrated manner, and carried out effective measures at all Group facilities. Having demonstrated that the measures were effective against the Delta variant that wreaked havoc from this past summer onward, Mitsui Fudosan considered the necessity to implement thorough infection control measures so that Group facilities could be used with peace of mind even if a more infectious variant were to spread in the future, and newly formulated easily understood Group-wide standards.

(2) Standards based on medical and engineering knowledge

The formulation of the standards was overseen by two specialists and based on various kinds of previously acquired medical and engineering knowledge. Measures to prevent infection that must be implemented universally regardless of each facility’s functions were selected and compiled as the Mitsui Fudosan Group’s unique infection control measure standards.

Naoki Hasegawa, Ph.D
Professor, Department of Infectious Diseases, Keio University School of Medicine General Manager, Division of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Keio University Hospital

< Profile and Affiliations >
Expert on respiratory diseases with a focus on tuberculosis and nontuberculosis mycobacteriosis belonging to The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine, The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control, Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, The Japanese Respiratory Society, and The Japanese Society for Tuberculosis and Nontuberculosis Mycobacteriosis

< Message >
It is important to thoroughly implement basic infection control measures at facilities, especially against variants such as Delta. The “Mitsui Fudosan 9BOX Infection Control Measure Standards” are organized in a way that is easily understood, so I hope that these measures are widely communicated to society through neighborhood creation.

Shin-ichi Tanabe, Ph.D
Professor, Department of Architecture, Waseda University

< Profile and Associations >
President, Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ); Member, Science Council of Japan; Member, Strategic Policy Committee, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Former President, Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and Sanitary Engineers of Japan (SHASE); and Chair, Committee on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for Building toward Carbon Neutrality, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

< Message >
I think that promoting measures with scientific bases for each transmission route across the entire company is very effective. In particular, the importance of ventilation has received renewed focus. I would very much like these measures to be securely implemented at each building and facility.

(3) Framework of the “Mitsui Fudosan 9BOX Infection Control Measure Standards”

Investigative research by various universities, medical institutions and research bodies has uncovered three transmission routes for COVID-19, which are infection through aerial droplets, aerosol infection, and infection through touch. In order to ensure that appropriate control measures are being followed at each facility, Mitsui Fudosan has arranged three control measures for each transmission route from among critical measures and established a grid with checkboxes for the nine confirmation items (9BOX).

The control measures in the standards will apply uniformly to all facilities developed and operated by the Group, and have been visualized so that people who use the facilities can recognize them. Mitsui Fudosan will strive to reduce the risk of infection by implementing control measures based on these systematically organized rules.

(4) Specific measures to be implemented at all facilities

(5) Informing facility employees and notifying customers of the “Mitsui Fudosan 9BOX Infection Control Measure Standards”

The standards will be applied not only to spaces for customers, but to internal office spaces as well, and Mitsui Fudosan will inform employees of infection control measures within facilities by, for instance, displaying posters and creating manuals. In addition, it will notify customers of infection control measure policies on the facility side by, for example, displaying posters within facilities and publishing policies regarding infection control measures on its website. At the same time, as always, the company will continue asking customers to cooperate with infection control measures (such as wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, measuring temperatures, and using hand sanitizer), so that everyone can continue to use the facilities safely and securely.


Image of poster

2. About the “Advanced measures”

The “Advanced Measures” are specific measures applied to designated products and facilities in an aim to reduce infection risk further by harnessing cutting-edge IoT and other technologies. Mitsui Fudosan will enact necessary enhancements to control measures in accordance with the characteristics of each facility and improve their resilience.

(1) Measures to prevent infection through aerial droplets

Mitsui Fudosan will implement measures to prevent infection through aerial droplets by harnessing cutting-edge IoT and other technologies. These measures include providing non-face-to-face services such as automated check-in and visualizing the status of congestion or bathroom availability at retail facilities.

< Examples of measures >
Automated hotel check-ins, notification and display of congestion status by harnessing IoT such as apps, visualizing the status of bathroom availability, compartmentalized delivery lockers, unmanned convenience stores, orders made through smartphones, cameras conducting crowd analysis, combinations of facial recognition and thermal cameras for entering and leaving areas, etc.


Non-face-to-face procedures through automated check-in machines

Visualization of bathroom availability

(2) Measures to prevent aerosol infection

Mitsui Fudosan will harness IoT technology to, for instance, analyze air flow and visualize air quality (such as CO2 density, temperature, and humidity) and ventilation status through measurement sensors. It will also make improvements to ventilation efficiency and the air environment from a scientific perspective.

< Examples of measures >
Environmental display (comprehensively displays indoor air quality, etc.) using an IoT-based dashboard, visualization of room occupancy and ventilation, analysis of air flow, high-performance air-conditioning filters, suction-type hand dryers, etc.


Air quality measurements

Visualization of ventilation status in an office

(3) Measures to prevent infection through touch

Mitsui Fudosan will strive to expand measures to prevent infection through touch using technology. These measures include completely touch-free offices that combine facial recognition, advance reservations for elevators, etc. and the introduction of contact-free elevator buttons and automated sanitizer dispensers.

< Examples of measures >
Completely touch-free offices, contact-free security, contact-free elevator buttons, automated sanitizer dispensers for escalator handrails with built-in antibacterial and antiviral materials, etc.


Concept of a contact-free office commute
(with facial recognition and advance reservations for elevators)

Contact-free elevator buttons

(4) Example of facilities that have introduced the “Advanced Measures” (including planned facilities)

  • Mitsui Fudosan Logistics Park Funabashi III
    Contact-free elevator buttons, visualization of bathroom availability, suction-type hand dryers, etc.
  • Demonstration at Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City
    Visualization of ventilation status, room occupancy, and visualization of bathroom availability; air flow analysis at retail shops; etc.
  • TOKYO MIDTOWN YAESU (scheduled for completion on August 31, 2022)
    Completely touch-free offices (office entrance and advance reservations for elevators using facial recognition, automation of doors into private areas, etc.), automated sanitizer dispensers for escalator handrails (UV irradiation), high-performance filters with antibacterial specifications for office and elevator air conditioners, real-time displays of the status of congestion within retail facilities by harnessing IoT, etc.
  • PARK WELLSTATE Nishiazabu Project and PARK WELLSTATE Makuhari Project (tentative names, both scheduled for completion in summer 2024)
    Contact-free security and elevator buttons, display of congestion status within common facilities by harnessing IoT, etc.
　

Mitsui Fudosan Logistics Park Funabashi III

TOKYO MIDTOWN YAESU

PARK WELLSTATE Nishiazabu Project (tentative name)