RMM, CIB

Recent Research and Development Activities
in BRI, Japan10, Oct. 2009
Hiroshi Ito
Deputy Chief Executive,
Incorporated Administrative Agency BRI, Japan1

Priority Research & Development themes in BRI
BRI has now given priorities to following new sixteen (16) themes,
responding to rapid changes in social and economic needs,
in housing, building and urban planning fields,
under following new four (4) key concepts, in March, 2009.
Four (4) Key Concepts
Construction of Low
Carbon Society

Development ofLong-Life Houses

Safety for Super
High-rise Buildings

Measures against
AsbestosNew sixteen (16) Priority R&D Themesb) sustainabilityc) social changesd) technologies

5. Damagelimitation of nonstructural elements

8.Low carbon society

12:Urbanrevitalization underdepopulation

14 Application ofIC tags

3:Fire risk
assessment

6:Daily safety andsecurity in houses
and urban areas

10:Recycling ofconstruction wastes

4.Urban disastermitigation

7:Safe and healthy
indoor air quality.

11:Development of long-life housinga) safety & security
1.quake-proof ratio
2. Safety in superhigh-rise building

IncludingAsbestos

9:Heat island effects13:Maintenance oftraditional woodenbuildings

We start them in 200915 Consumer
protection in
housing market
16 Highly treatment
in existing septictanks2

Examples of recent R&D themes (1)Construction of low carbon society
Changes in social and economic situations

Enforcement of new energy
regulation in April 2009

IPCC’s 4th evaluation report in Nov. 2007
Communiqué of G8 Summit in Hokkaido Toyako
Japanese target for CO2 reductionin July 2008
60-80% reduction by 2050 compared with 2009
Action plan for low carbon society as the decisionby the Cabinet in July 2008
（25% reduction by 2020 compared with 1990）
The Hatoyama Initiative announced in the 64th
general assembly of UN in Sep. 2009
• Increase of CO2 emission from “Commercial” and “Household” sectors by 30Present
40% since 1990situation• As for the “Household” sector, energy for domestic hot water and spacein Japanheating/cooling accounts for a half of the total energy consumption.
30-40% increase since 1990

CO2 emission of sectors in Japan

Typical energy consumption of households in mild climate
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Examples of recent R&D themes (1)Construction of low carbon society
Its contentsPractical technologies for improving energy
efficiency

Application technologies of newly developed energy
sources to houses and buildings

50%
reduction ofprimaryenergyconsumption
as a target“Low Energy Housing with Validated Effectiveness”(LEHVE)

Test piece of solar hot water
system for apartment houses

Capacitor as
battery

Deepening practical and effective energy-saving technologies
for houses and buildings
・Best mix of energy-saving technologies and newly developed energy sources
・Validation and improvement of actual performance of energy performance

District or City scale countermeasures for CO2 reduction

Developing perspective and scenario toward building low carbon city
・What is truly effective technologies?
・How can they be combined?
・Is the combination cost effective enough?

Simulations of heat island in Tokyo
By the computational analyzing method, which
was developed by BRI(Temperature distribution on the level of 10 m inTokyo’s ward area at 14:00 on 31 July 2005)

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Examples of recent R&D themes (2)Long life housing

The Act for Long
life and good
housing wasenforced
in 2008.

Changes in social and economic situations• Poor enjoyment of quality life even in mature society• Increase in social welfare cost, forward aging society• Serious Waste Problem
and Global Environmental Problem•To enrich good housing stock, we must establish goodsystem for construction, maintenance, distribution andfund-raising for houses.

MJ
100000
80000
60000
40000
20000
0

energy‐consumptionin each housing life stage [MJ]...A house in every stage consume energy,106,776 MJ in total ...

Switch of sense of values,
from consumption-oriented
to stock-minded is urgently required.

Realization of Longer use of houses

Life span for a house...A house in Japan lives only 30 years...
77U.K

79979

55

U.S.A
18000

4106

production ofits
its elements construction
or parts
works

in its use

distribution

maintenanceproduction

263

4428

its repairs

itselimination

life stage for a house from prodction to elimination

30

JAPAN
0

20

40

60

80

average years

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Examples of recent R&D themes (2)Long life housing
Its Contents
Renewal and Revitalizing housing stock

Quality control and maintenance method formaterials and elements

・Concrete covering measurement technology

・Simple and plain Information System on parts
or elements.

・Renewal technology for equipment andplumbing, etc.

・Technology for measurement of deterioration
and repairing of products and materials, etc.

・Space expansion technology

スラブ開口によるメゾネット化（屋根スラブ等切除により減築も可能）

Conversion tomaisonette after
opening on slabs(or Reducingfloors after cutting
roof slabs.

Enlarged梁切断＋補openings
after cutting
強により開beams and口面積 upreinforcing them.

梁貫通によるスリーブ新設

New sleevespiercing
existing
beams
Lowering
level of
接地階の低床化
ground floor slabs

Concepts for Enlargement

Business model to facilitate secondhand
houses’ distribution.
・Proposal on business models for secondhand
houses’ distribution.
・Evaluation on second houses’ performanceafter their remodeling works, by building
contractors.
・Such evaluated values is useful for financial
institutions at their financing. etc.
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Examples of recent R&D themes (3)Safety for super high-rise buildings
Changes in social and economic situations• Tower styled high-rise condominiums
become popular in all over Japan.
•Several buildings standing in a block
become also popular.
•Such buildings are affected by long-period
seismic ground motion.

Major
earthquakes•Minimizing social andeconomic loss and negative
influence after theearthquakes is required.

Its contents
Advanced safety measures
・Setup of long period seismic ground motion fordesigning.
・Development of safety technologies for superhigh-rise buildings
・Development of evacuation technologies forsuper high-rise buildings

Testing device for simulating longperiodic seismic waves

Less-impaired operation and quick recovery
after the earthquakes
・Proposal on performance standards for buildings,
taken into consideration of repair cost and term after
the earthquakes.
・Study on minimum plumbing and electric
equipment for water supply and drainage services

7note: Framework of R&D themes in BRIIn April, 2001, Building Research Institute made a start as an Incorporated Administrative Agency.
Each Agency builds up their activities on his Mid-term Plan (5-Years), under the Mid-term Objectives oriented
by his related Ministers, and does his best to achieve both Priority Themes and Fundamental Themes,
specified in the Mid-term Plan.
Now we are in the fourth year in the Second Mid-Term (2006-2010).
1)
2)
3)
4)

Four (4) the Second Mid-terms’ Objectives oriented by the Minister (MLIT)
To achieve high quality of society and living
To achieve society and living feasible for sustainable developments
To promote restructuring of buildings and cities in conformity with social changes
To support both rational building production system and reasonable consumers’ choice of housingwith employment of Information technologies or their devices

We have eighty-four (84) R & D themes (as of Oct. 2009);
Sixteen (16) Priority Themes

characterized quick responsible
ones for social and citizens’ needs.
And BRI gives priority and assigns
our resources, corresponding tothe Objectives.
These titles are specified in theSecond Mid-Term Plan.

Sixty-eight (68) Basic Themes
Basic/Leading Themes
Studies to clarify unknown mechanisms
Seeding Themes
Studies to develop further ones
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