Outline of the division

　The Environment and Equipment Standards Division is conducting basic and applicational studies for formulating and modifying the technical standards for the thermal, air, and water environments in buildings and building equipment, which are based on the Building Standard Law, Energy Conservation Law, and the law on the promotion of the quality of housing, and are closely related to various administrative policies.
　The division is also developing the countermeasures for the indoor air pollution measures in cooperation with the Housing Department.

Study themes

Development of systems for supporting the construction of houses and city infrastructures that are self-sustaining and recycle energy and resources

　 The division aims to reduce CO2 emissions to prevent global warming, build houses that supply their own energy during calamities, and develop methods for expressing the performances of various energy-saving technologies for buildings. Studies are being conducted on element and comprehensive technologies for optimizing solar batteries and fuel batteries for houses, building low-load houses, utilizing rainwater, treating wastewater, planning buildings that are appropriate for the climate and topography, and mitigating city climates. The division is developing self-sustaining and recycling-type houses that are as independent as possible in terms of energy and resources, and technologies for planning city infrastructures that are related to the self-sustaining and recycling abilities of cities.

Basic studies on the performance and standards of building environment and equipment　

　 To improve and modify technological standards concerning the environment and equipment of buildings, which are based on various existing laws, and to understand the new public demands on environments and equipment, the division is conducting the following basic studies:

(1) Study on the new standard system for the environment and equipment that satisfy the public demand
The division is 1) developing methods for examining the performances of garbage treating systems, septic tanks, waterworks, air conditioning systems, ventilation systems, other building equipment and sub-infrastructure systems, 2) investigating commissioning and maintenance, and 3) studying the air environment for VOC.

(2) Study on the environmental performance of buildings (Study on a comprehensive method of evaluating the thermal performance of aperture equipment)
To establish a comprehensive method of evaluating apertures such as windows, the division is investigating testing and calculations methods using various evaluation conditions, such as region, direction, season (summer and winter), and time (morning, noon, evening, night).

Members

Director	Yasuo Kuwasawa	Thermal and air environments
Senior research officer	Chiharu Kurayama	Thermal environment (methods for determining thermal performances, thermal properties of heat insulators, thermal performance of aperture equipment)

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Principles of the prototype device for measuring solar heat input

Prototype device for measuring solar heat input (when the light source is on)