Konica Minolta, Inc. announced that the Innovation Garden OSAKA Center (IGOC), the company’s cooperation and development centre for imaging IoT/AI technology, received the Governor of Osaka Award.
The company describes it as the highest honour in the FY2021 Osaka Environmentally Friendly Architecture Award, which commends the owners of environmentally friendly buildings and the architects who designed them.
Konica Minolta said is proud to receive this award as evidence of its commitment to the health and intellectual productivity of employees working at IGOC, as well as its environmentally-conscious operations.
In designing new office and research buildings, Konica Minolta focuses on minimizing CO2 emissions during both construction and operation of the buildings and equipment used in them.
Feature of the IGOC
At IGOC, high-efficiency heat-insulation sandwich panels are applied on the exterior walls on the south side of the building to enhance cooling efficiency during summer, while long eaves on the north and west sides block out the sunshine and make the indoor space less affected by the outdoor temperature.
IGOC also makes effective use of natural resources such as natural light and ventilation. The natural vents on the roof skylight and first floor automatically open and close according to the outdoor and indoor temperatures, increasing the efficiency of natural ventilation.
The staircase landing areas where there are benches and other places that encourage communication are lit by an energy-saving lighting system that detects moving people and automatically increases the brightness when someone is present and decreases it when no one is there.
With these systems and various other innovative design features, the IGOC building is highly environment-friendly, comfortable, and energy-efficient, and was therefore given the highest “S” rank in the Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE) instituted by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
In addition to its environment-friendliness, IGOC is highly evaluated for its comfortable and functional office environment, winning the 34th Nikkei New Office Award of Nikkei Inc. and the New Office Promotion Association.
Designed to stimulate the creation of ideas, friendly interactions, corporate identity communication, and good health, IGOC offers a healthy workplace environment that motivates employees in their work and encourages them to create new value through interactions with people, both within and outside the company.
IGOC has an athletic ground, multi-purpose courts and shower rooms, which entice employees to do sports during break time and thus help them stay healthy. Meanwhile, meeting rooms and offices have many open spaces where employees can feel connected with the outdoors, positively influencing their mental well-being. Employees may choose to work on the outdoor deck and eat at the garden café on the deck.
