A Vision of Air-conditioning and Sanitary Engineering for the 21st Century
1 Social Background Surrounding the Air-Conditioning and Sanitary Engineering Industry
Domestic market of air-conditioning and sanitary facilities is shrinking by more than 10% from the
previous year consecutively. The amount of orders accepted for related construction has halved from
2.2 trillion yen in 1991 to 1.2 trillion yen in 2009. On the other hand, growing concern for the global
environment prompts the building community to contribute to a significant reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions and fossil energy uses. A long-term vision shared among members of SHASE is
needed to promote the potential of our academic and industrial field to contribute to the Japanese
society.
A paradigm shift of buildings towards Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs) and Zero Energy Houses
(ZEHs), together with energy shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy is required for sustainable
buildings. However, the objective should not be focused only on energy reduction to sacrifice safety
and convenience of the next generation. Sustainable development is impossible without safety, and
service quality need to be ensured while reducing energy.
The Great East Japan Earthquake on 3.11 triggered multiple disasters of earthquake, tsunami, and
shutdown of nuclear power plants. Electricity shortage following the disaster affected the entire
country, revealing the vulnerability of current technology and social system to unexpected natural
disasters. Energy security of buildings which also supports everyday services with low energy use
would only be realized with the knowledge of our industrial field.
2. Outline of the SHASE 21st Century Vision
Air-conditioning and sanitary engineering is a field capable of offering solutions for ZEBs and
ZEHs while ensuring health, comfort, and convenience. A committee on SHASE 21st century vision
was appointed to provide a vision for our academic and industrial field to evolve into key players in
the future of low-carbon society. SHASE presents the 21st century vision as “growth strategy and
ultra low-carbon solution of environment and equipment technology that supports the 21st century”.
Three essential proposals are made to realize this vision.
3. Three proposals and the role of SHASE
Our field will be the key player to realize low-carbon society by providing ultra-low carbon
solutions and equipment technologies that highly integrate human and buildings. Three essential
proposals are presented to realize the vision. SHASE needs to act as a platform to integrate the three
proposals for revitalizing industrial and academic field of air-conditioning and sanitary engineering
Proposal 1: A Reform of Industrial Structure
1) A comprehensive environmental solution business
Designing and providing equipments should not be the endpoint of our industry. Our industry
should shift towards a solution business where professionals provide the clients assessment of
optimum operation and environmental evaluation for each specific building.
In response to stricter environmental regulations, environment and equipment performance of
buildings gathers attention in the market, since corporate social responsibility requires a company to
provide information on environmental performance of their buildings. Accordingly, environmental
performance is becoming an important parameter in financial evaluation of real estate. This is a good
opportunity for engineers to broaden the scope of their work to the extent where providing opinions
and consulting would directly appeal to the clients.
In terms of technological development, clients should be able to "feel" the service provided.
Sensing technology is an important tool to quantify the perception of people and to realize the design
intension of engineers into building equipment. Information obtained from the technology can also
be applied to a wide range of fields. In order to develop environmental technology that integrates
ergonomics and building engineering, active exchange of information and technology with other
industrial and academic organizations is required beyond the framework of building equipment. The
role of SHASE and our field is to overlook and integrate the knowledge and technologies crossing
over different disciplines to create new values to building environment.
2) A Comprehensive service which achieves a high level of safety, health and comfort
The fundamental principle of SHASE, "the creation of a safe, comfortable and healthy living
environment”, is also the objective of engineers in our field. It is our responsibility to be the main
player in creation of building environment through continuous development in environmental
technology in the era of social, economic and populational changes of the Japanese society. Entire
population of the society including children and the elderly should be able to live a safe, healthy and
comfortable life even in times of crisis.
In terms of safety, the importance of business continuity plan was acknowledged through the
experience of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Optimization of cost and countermeasures is
required to prevent serious accidents and secondary disasters. SHASE needs to organize and to
announce the guideline for building equipment which enables a high level of business continuity.
Labeling system on this matter should also be provided in the near future.
In terms of health, the effects of indoor thermal environment and air quality on man need to be
assessed continuously in detail. The law on building sanitation needs to be reconsidered not only for
safety but also for health promotion, and specific proposal should be made from SHASE for a
revision.
In terms of comfort, indoor environment should be evaluated from the view point of productivity
and actual comfort optimized for minimum energy use. Research and development to deepen the
understanding need to be promoted in conjunction with related academic societies. New guideline
for indoor environment is required to incorporate the effect of aging on physiology in order to cope
with the unprecedented ageing society to come.
Integration of building, air-conditioning, sanitation and electric equipment is required to provide a
high level of safety, health and comfort. Hardware solution alone is inadequate; it must be
accompanied by a comprehensive service to create a new value for indoor environment.
3) Strategy for Asian Market and Internationalization
Construction in Japan is a typical domestic industry. Expectation is low for further development in
domestic market due to rapid aging currently in progress. Expanding the market to Asian countries
and shifting to overseas business is inevitable.
The level of our building and equipment technology is widely recognized internationally, especially
on environmental quality and energy-savings. However, we lack in strategy to internationalize and
standardize our technologies. “An engineer who understands Japanese buildings" is insufficient, and
“an engineer who also understands Japanese buildings” is required. The existing SHASE standards
need to be translated into English and be made into international standards. Active announcements
should be made in English to appeal the presence of SHASE in international academic and industrial
societies.
4) Preparation for large-scale disasters
Although natural disasters are inevitable, there are lots of things we can learn from the experience of
disasters encountered in the past. The lessons we learned from the Great Hanshin Earthquake was
the importance of the following factors on building equipment: a) physical resistance, b) prevention
of a secondary disaster, c) early recovery, and d) flexibility for everyday use and emergency use.
Damage analysis on the Great East Japan Earthquake is still on the way, but the combined effects
earthquakes, tsunami, shutdown of nuclear power plants were pointed out. In particular, a failure of a
valve or a flood in a generator facility was confirmed to cause malfunction of the entire power plant.
Liquefaction in the Kanto area cased the failure of lifeline including water supply, sewerage, gas,
and electricity. SHASE should take initiative to gather information and organize a database on
equipment and system malfunctions to analyze the damage in case of natural disasters. A public
feedback of knowledge acquired from the process is needed for design, maintenance, and planning to
minimize the damage.
Proposal 2: ZEB and Significant Contribution to the Low-Carbon Technology
Achieving a ZEB requires efforts on on-site energy reduction with respect to building and site
characteristics. Zero energy can be achieved with the support of supplementary off-site measures.
Five actions are recommended for innovative reduction in carbon emissions:
a) reduction of energy loads
b) maximum use of energy in terms of supplied electricity and gas
c) use of safe low-carbon energy
d) efficient operation
e) regulations and administrative support
The sixth action is the use of low-carbon off-site energy.
The above-mentioned on-site measures for load reduction and energy saving is the key for achieving
ZEB, and purchase of carbon credits should be the last resort. The field of air-conditioning and
sanitary engineering can play an important role in this respect. It is also significant from the
viewpoint of energy security since our country relies almost entirely on imported fossil fuels.
Among these actions, the field of air-conditioning and sanitary engineering is expected to
contribute to efficient energy use in terms of highly efficient cogeneration systems such as fuel cells,
heat pumps, and lighting equipment. Large scale renewable energy power plants combined with
smart grid energy network is another important factor. There is a limit to the effect of these
technologies it they were introduced alone. Integration of innovative technologies by
air-conditioning and sanitary engineering is required in the process. In addition, off-site low carbon
energy is a prerequisite for a ZEB. Development of a large-scale renewable power plant such as
mega solar system, or an urban infrastructure for biogas and hydrogen is expected. Optimum
matching of on-site and off-site measures would be the key to realizing ZEBs.
ZEB is a very ambitious goal where public and private sectors need to work together on
development of innovative technology and social systems. The engineers of air-conditioning and
Sanitary Engineering are at the forefront of energy reduction of residential and commercial buildings.
In this vision, ZEB will be established by 2030, and full transition to zero-energy buildings will be
achieved by 2050.
Proposal 3: Infrastructure for Highly Rationalized Industry
1) BIM and Rationalization in facility design and construction phase
Improving productivity in design and construction phase of building equipment is an urgent issue in
light of the shrinking market today. Expectations are high for building information modeling (BIM)
which would streamline the lifecycle process of a building project management seamlessly from
planning to dismantling phase. Using the model data of BIM enables rationalization of design,
construction, cost estimation, and facility management procedures.
Information embedded in the building and equipment components can be passed on to various
simulation tools such as computational fluid dynamics, structural analysis, and equipment system
simulation. Proposals on highly integrated building and equipment system can be made to offer the
client quality service.
In the light of a shift in building lifecycle management due to introduction of BIM, a large fraction
of SHASE members are consisted of key players such as designers and contractors. Proactive
statements on cost allocation and order customs of design and construction should be made to the
entire building industry. International standards on BIM data also needs to be proposed.
2) Occupational ability and ethics required for engineers
The field of air-conditioning and sanitary engineering is required to provide the society a
comprehensive service to achieve low-carbon, safe, healthy and comfortable environment making
full use of tools such as BIM. Occupational ability of the engineer taking part in the process also
needs to be established.
Building equipment technology crosses over a wide range of discipline, taking part in
planning, design, construction, operation, and dismantling stage of buildings. Social responsibility of
an engineer is significant owing to the integrating position of the building project. Incidents have
occurred to threaten safety because our field is in close touch with everyday life of ordinary
population. Information on minor failures need to be accumulated and analyzed to avoid serious
accidents that would damage reliability of the building equipment engineers. Engineering ethics
need to be established and complied as well as laws and regulations for engineers to carry out
reliable duties.
4. SHASE as a Platform of Three Proposals
1) Academic Standards and Policy Proposals
Energy performance rating system has settled in the UK market because building owners are
mandated to present an energy performance certificate to transaction counterparties. Assessment not
only on energy performance but also on indoor environment quality and BCP of equipment system
would be essential for real estate evaluation in the near future. SHASE is able to provide neutral
rating systems concerning energy performance. ASHRAE has announced a similar vision on
building labeling earlier, and close cooperation between the two societies are needed. Criteria and
standards on evaluation, measurement and technology need to be organized while making public
announcements on framework of the labeling system. The scope of labeling system should not be
confined to office buildings and residential buildings but also to research or medical facilities with
special equipment. Work is needed to organize related standards on these facilities.
2) Education and Internships for the Young Engineers
Training and educational activities for talented young engineers will greatly influenced the next
generation of air-conditioning and sanitary engineering. However, current proportion of student
members is only about 2%. Aggressive promotion of student membership is desired through
discounts in society related expenses as seen in overseas organizations. However, economic
incentive only is apparently insufficient. Incubation activities such as consultation by technical
fellows and members’ support on student forum activities are important. Nurturing the young
through open participation in committees is also required.
An internship program has become a part of the requirement to apply for first degree architect
qualification in Japan since 2009. This is a good opportunity for air-conditioning and sanitary
engineering industry to show its presence to students unfamiliar with our field. The advantage of an
internship program is that students are able to experience the reality of our industry, which would
reduce the mismatch of employment. There are no criteria for the contents of the program, and a
common framework on contents and schedule recommended by SHASE need to be developed.
Proper internship program is able to stimulate information exchange between industry and academia.
Close work with related societies such as Architectural Institute of Japan is desirable to design an
effective internship program.
3) Public Relations on Academic Information
SHASE needs to mature as an organization to integrate the entire industrial and academic fields
related to the air-conditioning and sanitary engineering to realize a low-carbon society. Settling in a
limited area of academic expertise or fragmentation of the discipline easily leads to a weakening of
our field. Close conjunction with related academic societies, as well as development of the frontier
region is essential for our growth. A shift to a comprehensive service provider for overall building
environment is necessary. Further activities need to be promoted for technical committees, academic
symposium, standardization and publication of proceedings and journals. Active participation of the
members and their academic and industrial activities is the fundamental for a platform that enables
accumulation of intellectual properties and smooth transfer of technology,
5 Conclusions
SHASE is a traditional society having 94 years of history since it was founded in 1917. It is our
mission to "contribute to development of academic field and culture through collaboration and
promotion of heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, sanitation technologies and researches”. It is
essential for our society to adapt flexibly to the rapidly changing demands with respect to this
fundamental mission.
SHASE 21st century vision was established overlooking the global environment, social problems,
and social background surrounding the field of air-conditioning and sanitary engineering. Proposals
were made to realize low-carbon society ensuring safety, health and comfort. It is our mission to
promote and evaluate technological development that contributes to maximizing happiness while
minimizing carbon emission. SHASE 21st century vision should not only be an ideal but it must be
realized for sustainable development of our field in the light of inevitable downsizing of population
and economics in Japan. We must take action at this moment to achieve the vision through PDCA
cycle.
We hope that this SHASE 21st century vision is shared widely among society members. Members
need to integrate their intelligence to contribute to the sustainable development of society and the
field of air-conditioning and sanitary engineering.