"Ecological Specifications" for all Condominiums of Mitsui are drawn and standardized.
"Environment-friendly housings" to be realized by successively applying them in all condominiums.
August 30, 2000
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
The "live and let live together" principle underlines the objective of Mitsui Fudosan; that is to grow together with the community through our positive contribution, which is symbolized in our logo "&". The group's midterm management plan also expresses our fundamental attitude toward management, stating as to "live together with environment". As part of this goal, we decided to draw and standardize "Ecological Specifications". Ever growing awareness for environmental issue and concerns for products' basic functions universally have impelled us to make the "environment-friendly housings" as one of the essential product strategy in the condominium business, and the specifications will be successively applied hereafter to all the properties.
While drawing up the "Ecological Specifications", we directed our attention to a concept called "LCA (Life Cycle Assessment)", which is a method to objectively evaluate loads imposed on environment by a product during its life cycle, starting from construction, occupancy, to disposition. It materializes and fulfills live-and-let-live relationship with the environment through adopting the "LC CO2 (Life Cycle CO2)" method, which converts load factors into CO2 value for measuring a condominium throughout its construction and occupancy period, till it finishes the task of a building and demolished.
Environmental load of a typical condominium during its life cycle is in a ratio as follows: 22% during construction, 77% during occupancy period (including maintenances), and 1% during demolition (according to our trial calculation on a model condominium). The ratio showed the largest load in the period of occupancy. Therefore we drew up our "Ecological Specifications" from three different viewpoints, with the primary focus on the issue of "energy-saving" during occupancy period. This "Ecological Specifications" will have the effect of reducing about 10% of environmental load converted into CO2 value.
Specification on "Energy Saving": It contributes to reduce CO2 emissions, by controlling energy consumption through improving heat insulation property, air tightness and ventilation efficiency.
- Substantial specifications on heat insulation - heat insulation specification of a high order (based on the energy saving standard for the next generation *1) will realize a pleasant dwelling space with smaller influence from open air and sunlight and lesser air-conditioning energy.
- Use of pair (double) glasses - escaping heat decreases down to about 1/2. (Ratio compared by the manufactures.)
Specification on "Long Life": Objective is to reduce CO2 emission equivalency by realizing longer life of a building through improving durability and having anti-deterioration measures.
- Quality of concrete - It ensures as a design of durable building with specified concrete strength of more than 24 N/mm2 and water-cement ratio of less than 55%.
- Anti-Neutralization Measure for concrete - The thickness of cover concrete by the numerical comparison provided in the Building Standard Law as follows.
- Between 30mm to 40mm, which provides additional 10mm, for indoors (where is not exposed to the open air.)
- Between 40mm to 50mm, which provides additional 20mm, for outdoors (where is exposed to the open air.)
"Specification for environmental-friendly materials": Use materials that are friendly to both environment and human bodies.
- Measures against dioxin (specification for anti-PVC materials) - use wallpapers and ceiling clothes of natural materials such as kenafs and paper-clothes in stead of the widely used vinyl clothes of the past, which generate dioxin through incineration and disposition during reform works, etc. Similarly discontinue to use PVC wrappings for fittings and baseboards, and replace them with those of olefins or veneers.
- Measures against formaldehyde resin: Uses FcO (JAS: Japanese Agricultural Standard) and EO (JIS: Japanese Industrial Standard) types, which have minimum amount of diffusion, for Flooring materials, plywood, and particleboards. Low-formol type adhesives shall be used for walls and during constructions.
The following facilities are introduced with consideration for the importance of supporting ecology minded life in condominiums.
- Power source for composts (domestic kitchen garbage processor)
- "Ruswitch": Wiring system by which simply reduces power on standby in electric home appliances.
We also use recycled papers for handbills of all our properties for sales and for "Konnichiwa", our membership magazine with circulation of 200,000 copies per month. We look forward to grow together continually with the community through our positive contribution, building upon the principle of "live and let live together" as our "&" logo symbolizes, with which we realize them by variety of approaches.
*1: The standard indicated in one of the followings: "The owner's yardstick to rationalize energy use in housings", No.2 Notice issued by Ministry of International Trade and Industry / Ministry of Construction, March 30, 1999; "Design and construction guideline to rationalize energy use in housings" and "Construction through Housing Loan Corp's premium loan / energy conserved housing construction (the next generation type), No. 998 Notice issued by Ministry of Construction, March 30, 1999.
