TOKYO (April. 16, 2008) -- The Nissan Advanced Technology Center(NATC), completed in May, 2007, has been awarded the highest “S” ranking under CASBEE*(Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency) by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as sanctioned by IBEC (Institute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation), the certification body of CASBEE, on March 31, 2008. NATC is the first automotive facility to receive the highest CASBEE-S ranking.
Some of NATC’s environmental innovations include:
- Smart architecture that maps the building’s daily heat-levels according to sunlight
- Integration of the “green cube” (balcony garden) into the workspace environment
- Rooftop garden that uses recycled demolition debris
- Advanced energy saving system to reduce the building’s life cycle CO2 emission.
- Effective use of natural energy such as outdoor air recirculation cooling system.
NATC was also certified under ISO14001, the international standard for environmental management system, by the Japan Automobile Research Institute (JARI), a certification body of ISO14001 on March 28, 2008. The ISO14001 certification is an extension of the certificate coverage for the Nissan Technical Center (NTC) – the company’s main global development facility. ISO14001 encompasses all areas of environmental management processes including energy and resource conservation and recycling as well as social contribution activities.
Nissan also obtained ISO14001 for its global product development process on Mar, 7. 2008.
NATC has achieved environmental certification on all fronts – from its environmentally-friendly building, environment management processes to product development process – as the foundation to spearhead research and development for Nissan’s environmental technologies for the future.
Under the Nissan Green Program 2010 mid-term environmental plan, the company has pledged to add CO2 reduction to its internal management performance indicators to create QCT-C (quality, cost, time and CO2), which encompasses all aspects of the company’s corporate activities.
*CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency): A ranking standard by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport that comprehensively assesses a building’s ability to reduce environmental impact, through energy conservation, resource saving, and recycling of resources, as well as its environmental quality and performance such as workspace comfort and consideration for its natural surroundings.
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