Photography: Nobuyoshi Meguro

INPEX Corporation Naoetsu Touunryo Residence is planned to serve not only as a company residence but also as an emergency shelter open for the local residents by maintaining its functionalities even at the time of disaster.
The building is constructed with a simple layout, in which all the rooms face south, to achieve a soundproofing effect against the noise from the train tracks located in the north side of the premises and to extract maximum benefit from the sunshine in the cold region. The Communication Space established in the center of the building serves as a place for community building in normal times and as the base during disasters.
The most notable features of the building include a variety of energy systems and the disaster prevention measures.
With the effective use of natural gas and solar power as the sources of energy, a power supply system has been constructed by combining a cogeneration system (CGS), which is functional during blackout, solar power generation, and lithium ion batteries. It is an embodiment of the most effective system that takes account of the fuel supply for emergency on top of the general energy efficiency in terms of normal heating and electricity. In addition, the general service water tank, sump tank, and underwater pump allow continued water usage even when lifelines such as the water supply and drainage are interrupted.