Photography: Niitsu Photo Studio

This office building brings the headquarters of Zenrosai Hokkaido and its related organizations in one place. Due to deterioration, the pre-existing building was reconstructed with an emphasis on reducing running cost and environmental impact. With the theme of building a safe and reliable head office, various environmental suggestions were incorporated to "construct a user, city, and environment friendly facility that gains popularity within the community."
The external heat insulation wall method, insulated window frames, and low-E pair glasses are employed on the exterior walls to ensure a building envelope performance and reduce the loads on perimeter zones. A switching damper was installed on the ceiling for a thermal storage effect to diminish the indoor upper and lower temperature difference in order to provide comfort for the users. In addition, implementation of the thermal storage system contributes to the peak shaving of electricity, which subsequently leads to a reduction in electricity charges.
The color scheme has been chosen to achieve harmony with the building cluster on Nango-dori in front of the property. Greenery has been added on the external periphery of the building to achieve a greater feeling of familiarity in the local community. Moreover, the building aims to provide a safe and accommodating space for residents and visitors by adopting a seismic isolation structure, universal design in the communal areas, road heating, and the temporary emergency evacuation functions in times of disaster.