TOKYO (October 21, 2008)-- Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced its new headquarters, located in Yokohama Minato Mirai 21 Area, has been awarded "S-rank", the highest rating, in CASBEE＊ (Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency) by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, as sanctioned by IBEC (Institute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation), the official certification body.
The headquarters currently under construction scored 5.6, the highest ever CASBEE ranking for a new construction, earning it the distinction as one of the most environment-friendly and efficient building in Japan.
Environmental innovations featured in the new headquarters include:
- Reduced energy consumption (resulting in reduced CO2 emissions) for lighting and air conditioning through effective use of natural energy (sunlight and air circulation)
- Recycling of wastewater (rain water and drainage)
- Green rooftop to mitigate the "urban heat island" effect
- Use of high-durability construction materials
- Use of recycled materials
- Harmonic architecture to blend into natural surroundings - public walkway cuts through the building and open showroom
The headquarters is the second S-rank CASBEE award for Nissan, following the Nissan Advanced Technology Center (NATC) certification in April 2008.
The new headquarters has also been recognised under the Model Projects to Disseminate the Measures of Reducing Urban Heat Island Effects and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Buildings**, for its innovations in energy conservation and prevention of "urban heat island" effect. On April 25, the headquarters was certified as the first building in Yokohama to participate in the Cool City Area project, under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment.
Nissan's internal management indicator, QCT-C stands for Quality, Cost, Time and CO2, underscores the company's commitment to place CO2 performance at the core of our business operations. The Nissan Green Program 2010 environmental plan is aimed at developing new technologies, products and services that can lead to real-world reductions in vehicle CO2 emissions, cleaner emissions, and recycling of resources.
- * CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency): A ranking standard by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport that comprehensively evaluates a building's ability to reduce environmental impact, through energy conservation, resource conservation, recycling of resources, and its environmental quality and performance such as workspace comfort and consideration for its natural surroundings.
- **Model Projects to Disseminate the Measures of Reducing Urban Heat Island Effects and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Buildings: Countermeasures formulated by the Ministry of the Environment for areas where heat island effect is significant. It is targeted at businesses which have direct effect on energy conservation of buildings and, at the same time, contribute to alleviation of heat island effect.
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