Recent Research Activities and Technologies

The world's first Partially Floating Structural System was integrated into our Wind Tunnel Testing Laboratory, which was completed in 2005 on the premises of the Shimizu Institute of Technology.
This all-new structural system relies on the buoyancy of water held in a water cistern and multiple seismic-isolation devices (multilayer rubber bearings) installed under the building.
Approximately half of the building weight is supported by the buoyancy of the water, making it possible to reduce the size of its seismic-isolation devices. The building is effectively insulated from the ground, minimizing exposure to earthquake motion.
The water stored in the cistern can also be used for fire fighting or daily water needs in the event of a water outage.

The world's first core-suspended isolation system (also known as a balancing seismic isolator) was integrated into our Safety & Security Center, completed in 2006.
In this system, multilayer rubber bearings are installed at the top of the core, while steel cables from the core top are used to suspend the room sections positioned around the core, creating a seismically isolated structure. This approach achieves superb seismic-isolation performance by extending the building's natural vibration period. Additionally, the core-suspended isolation system can reduce a building's footprint by approximately 90%, allowing effective use of the building site for other purposes.

Through an electric power network, our micro-grid technology connects multiple power-generating facilities and electrical storage devices, including natural-energy sources such as solar power, thereby ensuring a stable supply of electricity. It provides optimal control based on energy demand, adjusting and maintaining the balance between demand and supply to ensure a stable supply of electricity. The micro-grid system makes it possible to connect new, large-capacity energy sources that contribute to reductions in CO₂ emissions while facilitating connectivity to legacy electrical power systems.