Initiatives based on the "facilities" that support the city

── Area energy management design is actually one of our specialties. We have a long history and a proven track record in areas such as Otemachi, Marunouchi, and Minato Mirai 21 District. What is the approach taken today when updating the functionality of DHC, which is infrastructure that supports cities?

The DHC system is responsible for supplying cold water, steam, and hot water, but dating back to its early days (the early 1970s), it was originally a "steam piping network" that mainly supplied heat for heating. Looking at old drawings of the "Otemachi Building" (completed in 1958), designed by our company and located close to "Otemachi One," we can see that at the time, heating was done by burning coal, but this was prohibited by the Air Pollution Control Act, an initiative to combat pollution, and so a change began in which DHC systems using city gas were constructed.

Today, as in the past, environmental considerations are an important topic in our work with DHC, but the changes are accelerating. When Otemachi One was designed (in the 2010s), the requirement was "energy conservation," but in just a few years, the requirement has shifted to "carbon-free/carbon neutral." DHC plants are not particularly "flexible," as chillers and boilers are basically made to order for each plant construction project, and once installed, they can be used for up to 30 years. It is difficult to determine the pros and cons of energy at this very moment and make a choice. We use electricity, but we also use gas effectively... We must respond to modern social demands, while also considering the mid- to long-term perspective of "what will the situation be like in 2050" when designing.

-- As the name DHC stands for "district heating and cooling," handling energy on a broader scale than just a single building level is something that connects to today's smart city thinking and the cross-disciplinary efforts that take place there, isn't it?

The Urban Energy Planning Department, to which I belong, is involved in these tasks. Along with the Urban Management Planning Department, which is involved in formulating urban plans, we are also involved in planning from even further upstream in development. Although our function is positioned as "machinery," we are quite active, so I think this department is also capable of allowing people who want to be involved in urban planning to commit to cities from an energy perspective, using MEP Engineering as a kind of tool.

From now on, we will be asked how to utilize the know-how we have cultivated over the years. For example, DHC can be put to great use in high-density redevelopment such as compact cities. We will go further upstream in the redevelopment plan, create a strategy for "promoting area-wide energy use and providing incentives," set a direction, create guidelines, and lobby the government... This is an area where urban planners and real estate developers are originally good at, but from my experience, I feel that MEP Engineering can actually set up such mechanisms.

We will broaden our scope to include society as a whole, such as the realization of a carbon-free society and a hydrogen society in the future. We tackle these modern challenges every day from the perspective of "facilities."