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2019 ASHRAE TECHNOLOGY AWARD CASE STUDIES

This article was published in ASHRAE Journal, May 2019. Copyright 2019 ASHRAE. Posted at www.ashrae.org. This article may not be copied and/or distributed
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Transforming an
Occupied Office Into a
Zero Energy Building
BY HIROAKI TAKAI, ASSOCIATE MEMBER ASHRAE; KOJI TANAKA, P.E.JP, MEMBER
PHOTO CREDIT SHINKENCHIKU-SHA ASHRAE; KAZUKI WADA, MEMBER ASHRAE; HIROKI KAWAKAMI, MEMBER ASHRAE

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FIRST PLACE | 2019 ASHRAE TECHNOLOGY AWARD CASE STUDIES

The office renovation provides spaces suitable for concentration and communication. It also allows occupants to share
office equipment, terminals and other facilities, reducing plug loads, air conditioning and lighting, while enhancing
productivity.

I n the Paris Agreement, Japan


promised to target a 40% reduc-
tion in greenhouse gas emis-
sions for business and other sectors
by fiscal year 2030 relative to fiscal
heat and solar heat; and wellness
control for providing an optimum
indoor thermal environment to sat-
isfy personal preferences.
The renovation also diversified the
year 2013. Japan’s national energy office environment to provide spaces
saving policies also target new public suitable for concentration and com-
buildings to be a zero energy build- munication. In addition, it allowed
ing (ZEB) by 2020 and for other occupants to share office equipment,
new buildings to be ZEB by 2030. terminals, and other facilities, reduc-
Because buildings with a gross floor ing plug loads and the like while
space of 10,000 m2 (107,639 ft2) or enhancing productivity. To cover the
less account for 98% of all small- and remaining energy consumption and
medium-sized office buildings in to be more resilient building, the ren-
Japan, achieving energy savings in ovation achieved energy generation
these buildings is an urgent issue to and storage by introducing photovol-
achieve the target reduction. taics and lithium ion batteries. Thus,
One existing building to be the renovation resulted in a building
renovated into a ZEB is TAKENAKA that exceeds net ZEB performance.
Corporation Higashikanto Branch
Office near Tokyo, which was reno- Energy Efficiency
vated while the offices were in use. Thermal Load and Energy Consumption
This marked the first time a net Achieving a drastic reduction
ZEB building in Japan was achieved in the thermal load on the exter-
while occupied. The renovation nal skin is an essential part of ZEB
achieved both a comfortable office renovation.
TAKENAKA Corporation environment and energy savings by
Higashikanto branch office introducing technologies including Communication Area
is the first zero energy high thermal insulation; natural
building in Japan to be ventilation and daylighting; radiant
renovated while occupied. cooling and heating and desiccant
The renovation achieved air conditioning using geothermal
both a comfortable office
environment and energy
Hiroaki Takai is a principal engineer of architectural envi-
savings. ronment, Koji Tanaka, P.E.Jp, is a group leader of mechani- Archive
Shelves Workplace Entrance
cal and electrical engineering, Kazuki Wada is a group
leader of architectural environmental engineering in the
R&D Institute, and Hiroki Kawakami is a mechanical and
electrical engineer with TAKENAKA Corporation in Japan. The office layout is divided into four areas.

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(Left) Vertical louvers that had been used before renovation were reattached to the outside surface after blinds and
single glass were installed to form a double skin. (Above) Daylighting is maximized through the renovated space.
(Right) Openings for natural ventilation are mounted at floor level.

May Jun July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr

Primary (Source) Consumption (MJ/m2·year)


Generation
Primary (Source) Consumption (MJ/m2·month)

2016 2017
40 400 418 417

0 0

–40 –400
417 403
–80 –800

–1200
–120 1,396
Consumption
–1600
–160 Generation (Before) Generation (Predicted) Generation (Actual)
Consumption (Before) Consumption (Predicted) Consumption (Actual) Before Predicted Actual
FIGURE 1   Total consumption of primary energy (May 2016 – April 2017) by month (left) and year (right).

Additional insulating material (13.1kBtu/ft2·yr), and the total


was installed in external walls and amount of energy generation is
the roof, and glass was replaced 417 MJ/m2·yr (13.5kBtu/ft2·yr).
with argon gas-charged low-ε glass.
Blinds and single glass as outer skin Direct Use of Geothermal and Solar Heat
were installed to form a double skin To minimize operation time of heat
on the outside surface. In addition, sources, a system was employed that
vertical louvers that had been used cools and heats by using geothermal
PV and solar heat system on the roof.
before renovation were reattached heat and solar heat. Specifically,
to the outside surface. The actual water flowing through ground water When the load exceeded the supply,
annual peak thermal load is small, pipes is cooled between 19°C to 21°C the necessary energy was secured by
only 60 W/m2 (5.6 W/ft2). (66°F to 70°F) by using geothermal auxiliary operation of a cooling or
Figure 1 shows details of monthly heat (underground temperature is heating heat pump.
and annual energy balance for 17°C [63°F]) and then directly sup- In one and a half years of opera-
the year. The energy produced plied to radiant ceiling panels for tion, the renovated building
and energy consumed by air con- cooling. In addition, hot water at obtained slightly more than 40%
ditioning and ventilation exhibit 45°C to 60°C (113°F to 140°F) sup- of its energy for cooling by directly
seasonal changes. The annual total plied by the solar heat system is used using geothermal heat, and almost
consumption of primary energy as a heat source for regenerating 100% of energy for regenerating
including electricity supplied desiccant (Figure 2). Solar heat is also desiccant by collecting solar heat.
through plug loads is 403 MJ/m2·yr used for ceiling radiant heating. Collected solar heat accounted for

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slightly more than 21% of the heat energy for heating) Radiant Panel
(Figure 3). Dessicant Air Conditioner 2°F
Parking Space
IAQ and Thermal Comfort Ground 1°F
Level P
Indoor Temperature and Humidity P P
To provide occupants with a comfortable thermal envi- Heat Pump Heat Exchanger

ronment, a combination of radiant heating and cool-


ing for radiant control, desiccant air conditioning for
Depth 67 m
humidity control, and personal fan for airflow control Boreholes
was planned. During intermediate periods under a mild Closed Loop Circuit
comfortable climate, natural ventilation under auto-
matic control is used to the extent possible. FIGURE 2  Geothermal system (top) and
Figure 4 shows the average indoor temperature and during construction (right).
humidity values measured in the office in February,
May, and August. Temperature and
humidity were controlled in accor- 15 000
Heating Load

dance with ASHRAE Standard 55


10 000 Heat Pump
-2013. In May, which is an interme-
Thermal Load (MJ/month)

diate period, natural ventilation is 5000 Geothermal


used and temperature and humidity 40%
varied over a wide range. 0
Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun July Aug Sep Oct Nov
5000 2016 2017
Occupant Satisfaction Rate Heat Pump
Solar Thermal
Cooling Load

A thermal sensation survey was 10 000 Solar Thermal For Regenerating


conducted for all occupants before 21% Desiccant
and after the renovation. The results 15 000 100%
show that in summer, the rate of sat-
FIGURE 3   Thermal load, including the percentage of the annual heat energy obtained by using solar thermal and geothermal.
isfied persons for thermal environ-
ment and air quality became higher
after renovation. velocity in the office is properly CO2 Concentration Control
controlled and occupants feel Indoor mechanical ventilation is
Air Velocities and Ventilation comfortable. achieved by using a variable air vol-
Openings for natural ventilation ume dedicated outdoor air system
were mounted at floor level, and air Personal Diffuser (DOAS)with desiccant. The unit con-
exhaust openings were mounted at In summer, occupants sometimes trols air volume to maintain the air
skylights. The openings are auto- feel hot after moving around, so a within standards for CO2 concentra-
matically controlled according to personal fan was planned to provide tion and indoor humidity.
detected indoor and outdoor envi- individual airflow. This personal fan
ronmental conditions, and each of uses a nozzle installed on the ceiling Radiant Thermal Control and Exergy Evaluation
the openings is also locally adjust- to create airflow toward an individ- We applied a high level of thermal
able by occupants. ual’s face. Each occupant can adjust insulation, sunshade blinds, and
In May, the natural ventila- the air volume from their computer used radiant cooling and heating
tion and night purging operating and smartphone. The flow veloc- to create a thermal environment
hours accounted for more than ity around the face is 0.5 m/s (98.4 in which the difference among
50% of the total operation hours. fpm) in medium mode and 0.8 m/s surface temperatures is small. In
The air change per hour was 10 (157 fpm) in high mode, providing a this way we improved the build-
or more in the daytime. Wind cool-down sensation. ing environment in terms of better

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human-body exergy consumption to


achieve an environment with mini-
— Feb × May Aug
0.016
mal thermal stress. 0.014

Humidity Ratio (kgH 0 /kgDry Air)


Aug. 0.012
Comparison of Human-Body Exergy 1.0 clo zone 0.010

2
Consumption Rates Before and After Renovation May
0.008
According to the surface tempera- 0.006
ture distribution (Figure 5), the tem- Feb
0.004
perature difference is small among 0.5 clo zone
0.002
the peripheral walls, the ceiling, and 0.000
the glass faces, and an ideal radiant 20 21 22 23
Figure 4 24 25 26 27 28 29
environment has been created. The Operative Temperature, °C
human-body exergy consumption FIGURE 4  Operative temperature and humidity in Aug., Feb., and May (ASHRAE Standard 55-2013 Graphic Method).
rate was reduced by the renovation.

Unsteady Analysis of Human-Body Exergy


Consumption
We analyzed the human-body
exergy consumption rate in summer
that occurs when workers walk out-
doors in the heat from the nearest
transit station before sitting down at
their desks.
During outdoor walking, exergy
consumption is large. When the FIGURE 5   According to the surface temperature distribution, the temperature difference is small among the peripheral walls,
the ceiling, and the glass faces.
workers enter the office, their exergy
consumption rapidly decreases.
Once the personal fan is turned on, metabolic rate and each worker’s
the body reaches a steady state in thermal environment was collected
a shorter time so the subsequent from each wearable devices and
exergy consumption becomes small. wireless sensors. And, the workers
described the thermal sensation
Innovation they felt by using their smartphone.
Wellness Control by Wearable Devices Comfort indexes were corrected
We experimented with automatic and learned on the basis of the col- Wearable devices for gathering individual metabolic rate.
control of airflow and radiant cool- lected information, and we used
ing based on the conditions of work- this to build a system that controls Ceiling DOAS with Desiccant
ers, which were measured with personal fans and the indoor tem- A super-compact humidity-
wearable devices. An increase in sat- perature settings. Results from conditioning air conditioner pro-
isfaction with the thermal environ- the questionnaire survey about vides low humidity in summer and
ment of the office has a significant wellness control system showed energy savings year-round. A new
effect on workplace productivity. increased satisfaction in the ther- desiccant block was devised and a
However, different persons have mal environment of approximately DOAS with desiccant that reduced
different levels of satisfaction in the 50% and productivity of approxi- its height was developed, so it can
same thermal environment. In the mately 25%, compared with per- be housed in the ceiling. The unit is
experiment, position information sonal diffusers manually adjusted equipped with a total heat exchanger,
of each worker is correlated to their by users. a cooling coil, a heating coil, and a

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desiccant-regenerating coil and is capable of using geo- Exhaust


Flow-Channel-Switching Moisture Absorption
thermal heat and solar heat (Figure 6). and Desorption Equipment
Static Total
Heat Exchanger
Operation and Maintenance
Monitoring and Total Control by Cloud Computing
Since this building is small, there is no building man-
ager. A remote centralized monitoring system using
cloud computing makes it possible for a building man- Return Air
agement company to perform remote building monitor- Air Supply
ing and control. The system allows changing the appro- Outdoor Air
Outside Dimensions: 2,250 mm (W) × 1,050 mm (D) × 450 mm (H)
priate settings in real time, further reducing energy
consumption. The amount of energy consumption is FIGURE 6   Internal structure of outdoor air-handling unit for desiccant.
also visualized and displayed on Web screens and digital
signage to raise worker awareness. Other Lighting HVAC Plug Load Positive Energy
1400

Primary Energy Consumption (MJ/m2·yr)


Cost-Effectiveness 1200 71%
Reduction
Comparison of Life-Cycle Cost 1000
Simple payback from the energy benefits brought 800
about by the investment in renovation for ZEB will be 600
achieved in approximately 20 years. When the reduc- 400
30%
tion in personnel expenses brought about by improving 200 Generation
workplace productivity is also taken into account, pay- 0
back will be achieved in approximately 12 years. (200)
In cases where a new building model is used instead of Before Renovation After Renovation After Renovation
this renovation model, the time required for simple pay- (Reference Building) (Including PV)

back will drop to appropriately 14 years, and when the Primary Energy: 9.76 MJ/kWh
Reference Building is modeled by Japanese Web Program
time required for payback from improving workplace
FIGURE 7   Comparison of primary energy consumption before and after renovation.
productivity is taken into account, the payback will drop
to approximately eight years.
in the renovation work. This is extremely difficult to
Environmental Impact achieve even for new building construction.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
The amount of annual CO2 emissions from the building Conclusion
was 25.8 ton·CO2/yr. Carbon neutralization was effectively This is Japan’s first project that renovated an occupied
achieved since the amount of CO2 reduction due to creat- building and converted it to zero net energy. It also cov-
ing energy through photovoltaics was 26.7 ton·CO2/yr. ers power consumption through plug load. This project
both achieved zero energy and brought about benefits
Energy Consumption and Energy Balance Before and After Renovation such as improved comfort, improved workplace pro-
Primary energy consumption was reduced by 71% for ductivity, workstyle innovation, a healthy office, and a
the reference building. Since energy generation was resilient building.
equivalent to 30%, a net positive energy building of 1%
was achieved (Figure 7). Bibliography
TAKENAKA Corporation. 2018. TAKENAKA’s Green Buildings.
Shukuya, M. 2013. Exergy: Theory and Applications in the Built
Reduction in Waste Discharge Environment.
By 100% recycling through reduce, reuse and recycle Springer. Kazanci, O., et al. 2016. “Theoretical analysis of the
activities, we achieved “a final disposal ratio of 0%” performance of different cooling strategies with the concept of cool
exergy.” Building and Environment 100(May):102 – 113.

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