Innovative Building
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Our commitment behind creating world-leading facilities
Science and technology constantly pursue new fields and things that have never been seen before. Buildings which deal with science and technology also need to be built upon the same fundamental principles.
Strictly-controlled temperature and humidity, spaces isolated from electromagnetic noise, and thorough suppression of contamination: Nikken Sekkei has faced countless severe and unprecedented design conditions, but we have found answers for them all on the way to creating many “world leading” facilities. What is truly behind our actions is our commitment on engineering and the concept of bricolage.
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Bricolage and Engineering
Designing facilities which develop or handle world-leading technologies means creating something that has never existed before, so the design conditions and the performance targets include things that have never been seen before. In such situations, the already known or experienced knowledge and skill will not work, and you’re in a “don’t have this, don’t have that” situation. What you need at such times is a “bricolage” approach.
Bricolage (skillful work) means “to express your own idea using materials which consist of miscellaneous elements, and which are abundant but still limited,” and “looking back over the whole body of all the tools and materials you have gathered so far..., lining up all the possible solutions by which they could be applied to the given problem..., and then picking the one that should be applied.”
To put it frankly, it can be interpreted as appropriately handling a situation in which the excuse “I can’t do it because I don’t have X” cannot be used. The necessities for a bricolage approach are an everyday practice of careful observation of information and elements in one’s surroundings, keeping things at hand that might be useful one day, creativity, and wit.
On the other hand, the word that forms a pair with bricolage is “engineering.” They are contrasting modes of behavior, but Claude Lévi-Strauss said that “They are not two stages or two phases of human intellect. Why? Because both these procedures are effective.”
To put it another way, if we try to fit these two to design actions, the ultimate driving force behind creating world-leading things is engineering, but a bricolage approach is necessary for the process of getting there.
Science and technology constantly pursue new fields and things that have never been seen before. Their activities so far have been remarkable in fields such as accelerator facilities, super-high-speed computers, and biotechnology. In addition to those, new domains and unprecedented technologies will emerge in fields such as Industrie 4.0, IoT, and AI, and we can imagine that world-leading or world-first facilities will be needed at the same time.
Nikken Sekkei will keep on challenging world-leading and world-first projects from the two aspects of bricolage and engineering.
(Source: Claude Lévi-Strauss, The Savage Mind, Misuzu Shobo, 1976)
Bricolage (skillful work) means “to express your own idea using materials which consist of miscellaneous elements, and which are abundant but still limited,” and “looking back over the whole body of all the tools and materials you have gathered so far..., lining up all the possible solutions by which they could be applied to the given problem..., and then picking the one that should be applied.”
To put it frankly, it can be interpreted as appropriately handling a situation in which the excuse “I can’t do it because I don’t have X” cannot be used. The necessities for a bricolage approach are an everyday practice of careful observation of information and elements in one’s surroundings, keeping things at hand that might be useful one day, creativity, and wit.
On the other hand, the word that forms a pair with bricolage is “engineering.” They are contrasting modes of behavior, but Claude Lévi-Strauss said that “They are not two stages or two phases of human intellect. Why? Because both these procedures are effective.”
To put it another way, if we try to fit these two to design actions, the ultimate driving force behind creating world-leading things is engineering, but a bricolage approach is necessary for the process of getting there.
Science and technology constantly pursue new fields and things that have never been seen before. Their activities so far have been remarkable in fields such as accelerator facilities, super-high-speed computers, and biotechnology. In addition to those, new domains and unprecedented technologies will emerge in fields such as Industrie 4.0, IoT, and AI, and we can imagine that world-leading or world-first facilities will be needed at the same time.
Nikken Sekkei will keep on challenging world-leading and world-first projects from the two aspects of bricolage and engineering.
(Source: Claude Lévi-Strauss, The Savage Mind, Misuzu Shobo, 1976)
Combining Positive Building Pressure with Negative Room Pressure
Facilities located in polluted exterior environments or where outdoor air intrusion may affect analysis and measurement accuracy need to be positively pressurized whereas facilities that contain hazardous control zone need to be negatively pressurized. In order to combine these requirements, a pressurized shield wall may be an effective method.
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The Most Advanced Energy-saving Technologies and Risk Countermeasures for iDCs
Advanced Air Conditioning Systems in Overseas iDCs
New air conditioners for data centers, which operates in high temperature ambience (SA 28degC, RA 38degC) has been emerging in North America and Europe. This study investigated the examples projecting their use in Japan.
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New air conditioners for data centers, which operates in high temperature ambience (SA 28degC, RA 38degC) has been emerging in North America and Europe. This study investigated the examples projecting their use in Japan.
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Advanced Energy-saving Measures for iDCs
Energy saving measures to integrate ever-increasing data systems and building equipment are: peak cut control interrelated with BEMS, and combined air conditioning system with server operation.
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Energy saving measures to integrate ever-increasing data systems and building equipment are: peak cut control interrelated with BEMS, and combined air conditioning system with server operation.
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Volcanic Ash is a Major Risk Factor
There are around 110 active volcanoes in Japan, and Mt. Fuji has long been indicated as being at high risk of eruption. If Mt. Fuji erupts, the prevailing wind would convey volcanic ash to settle in the capital region and countermeasures should be taken to avoid the risk.
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There are around 110 active volcanoes in Japan, and Mt. Fuji has long been indicated as being at high risk of eruption. If Mt. Fuji erupts, the prevailing wind would convey volcanic ash to settle in the capital region and countermeasures should be taken to avoid the risk.
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Prevent Airborne Infection
In medical facilities, the most effective infection control method for airborne infectious patients is to isolate them in a negatively pressurized environment. Daily management of slight pressure differential is crucial hence an economical and accurate monitoring system is highly needed.
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Clean the Air in Transportation Facility
This study investigated countermeasures to mitigate the health damage incurred by odors and harmful substances such as exhaust gas of aircrafts and vehicles in transportation facilities. For example, bipolar ion generators would suppress dust, odor, VOC, microbes, and allergens.
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Investigating Design Conditions in Industrie 4.0
Rental factories focused on Industrie 4.0 are emerging in the ASEAN region. These factories introduce different production processes than conventional ones hence is difficult to estimate the required power, condenser water volume, and equipment space. Studies on existing examples should be done to estimate the adequate but not excessive specification.
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Working Status of Research Centers
This study investigated the operation of local exhaust system in a research facility to apply it to optimum manifold system design.
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These ideas originated with "ID200", an activity where about our 200 engineers from the Building Services Design Division propose suggestions each year.