Utilising the Earth's Natural Energy Resources

Energy produced in the skies above us does not disappear, it can be thought of as being stored in a global piggy (pls change this Eric) bank. While the atmosphere above it significantly affects the surface, the subterranean environment is not. In other words, a constant supply of energy is available for effective usage.

Geothermal heat　"Cool Tube"

★ Geothermal heat
The subterranean environment is a relatively long term stable environment, protected from the effects of the Sun and other surface influences. A casual walk in a tunnel during the summer months will confirm that the Sun does not greatly effect the chilly environment. During cooling, fresh air needs to be introduced from outside the building. However, it is easy to imagine how inefficient it is to introduce hot fresh air from outside for cooling. Naturally chilled subterranean air is far more efficient. Furthermore, as the temperature of the air introduced approaches the temperature of the air within the room, the efficiency improves further. Various uses can be envisaged for subterranean air tunneled up in ducts covered by earth.

kaga municipal kinjo junior high school

Architectural Ｄｅｓｉｇｎ	TADAO ANDO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES
Structuer	S
Floors	2floores above ground
Site Area	5,615.31㎡
Total floor space	7,514.89㎡
Purpose	junior high school

In a Kanazawa prefecture school, supply air is drawn from an underground duct to provide cooled fresh air intake. A study into the above duct indicated that there would be an anticipated drop in the fresh air temperature of ℃ leading to a decrease in the current k plan of approximately x W.

GINZAN ONSEN FUJIYA

Architectural Ｄｅｓｉｇｎ	KENGO KUMA ＆ ASSOCIATE
Structuer	wood
Floors	１ basement & 3floors above graund
Site Area	366.09㎡
Total floor space	927.99㎡
Purpose	Traditional Japanese Inn

The Ginzan Onsen (hot-spring) is naturally too hot for bathing as the water is around 60oC, so it is necessary to cool it down using the mains water supply. On the other hand, in this region the cold can be severe in winter with heavy snowfalls. Due to the accommodation, the energy required to provide heating and a hot water supply are considerable, therefore reductions in operation expenses and the environmental impact were sought and a system that made use of the valuable natural underground heat source was developed. The spring water is collected in a tank and cooled by a plate type heat exchanger with strong anti-corrosive properties and the bath is supplied by a run off, while the remaining heat is indirectly used as pre-heat for floor heating and the hot water supply. This makes for considerable savings in hot water and heating energy costs as well as in the water supply costs involved in cooling the hot-spring. Additionally, coiled pipes from the hot spring are fitted to the radiation fins of the air-conditioner outside units in order to defrost and melt snow in winter. Furthermore the waste water from the hot spring is not simply discarded but used to melt snow. In this way, by not wasting heat generated by the onsen and utilizing a cascade system this provides an excellent renewable energy source, which from the view point of lifecycle costs effectively kills two birds with one stone.

Rain　woter　reuse

Rainwater stored in a building's underground pit can be reused and purified for closet water. While not being suitable for potable water, rainwater sent to the building's sewage can be an effectively utilised natural resource.

TOKYO METROPOLITAN EDO-TOKYO MUSEUM

Architectural Ｄｅｓｉｇｎ	Kiyonori Kikutake Architects
Location	Tokyo
Completed	1993
Floors	2 basement & 7 floors above graund
Site Area	46,590㎡
Total heating capacity	626USRT
Transfomer capacity	1,650Mcal/h

The facility has a rainwater tank with the capacity of 2,500㎡ and coverage area is 10,000㎡. The rainwater usage rate achieved 37% in 1999. saving expensive treated main water.

TOYKO INTERNATIONA FORUM

Architectural Ｄｅｓｉｇｎ	Rafael Vinoly ArchitectsP.C.
Location	Tokyo
Completed	1996
Floors/Site Area	3 basement & 11 floors above graund 144,405㎡
Total cooling capacity	3,750USRT
Total heating capacity	12,000Mcal/h
Transfomer capacity	20,000 KVA

At Tokyo International Forum, cooling tower blow-down water, rainwater and waste water from the kitchen are recycled as raw water. Breakdowns of the rates of raw water usage and where is used are shown in the graph. Rain water is recycled and used effectively.

OMOTESANDO HILLS

Architectural Ｄｅｓｉｇｎ	TADAO ANDO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES
Structuer	SRC, partial RC, S, seismic isolation structuer
Floors	6 basement & 6 floors above graund
Site Area	5,030.76㎡
Total floor space	34,061.72㎡
Purpose	shops, residences, parking, public amenities

At Omotesando hills rainwater from the building and premises (catchment area 5,500m2) is accumulated in a detention tank (370m3) beneath the building, and after filter sterilization has been carried out is stored in a reclaimed water tank, and along with grey water from the bathrooms, it runs from the glass monument at the east end of the site to create a small stream down a slope utilizing the natural gradient of Omotesando.