Smart Innovation Ecosystem Novare
(Komorebi* Wooden Louvers)

Creating buildings that are connected to society and external environment

Shimizu celebrated its 220th anniversary in November 2023. Novare’s mission is to inherit the DNA of knowledge, technology, and human resources cultivated over the long history and tie it into innovations.

One of the five comprising facilities is the Novare Academy hands-on training facility. It is a facility where people can experience the spirit of monozukuri (superb craftsmanship) through full-scale mock-ups and other exhibits. By opening it up to the public, Shimizu will help communicate the appeal of the construction industry and monozukuri.

Up until now, outdoor louvers have often been installed without considering the relationship with the outside world. However, buildings are, of course, connected to the outdoors as well as the indoors. The ability to calculate the performance of buildings inside and out using various digital tools ties into the philosophy of the Zero Energy Society (ZES), which aims to reduce energy consumption to zero across society as a whole.

The wooden louvers on this building are equipped with functions optimized for various principles, in addition to enhancing the exterior's aesthetic appeal. Rather than separating the building's interior and exterior environments, the ways of opening to create harmony were searched.

Adapting to the surrounding environment in four steps

Visitors see the exterior of the Novare Academy building as they approach the main entrance from the station. Therefore, the goal was set to create a pleasant space that connects to the external environment. For example, various principles contribute to the comfort people feel in a forest. To strike an optimal balance between various principles and desires—including providing pleasant views, efficiently blocking sunlight, and creating a natural ambiance—it was sought to optimize the multi-purpose Komorebi Wooden Louvers through the four steps below.

○ Steps 1 and 2: Harmonizing with the internal and external environments

First, a digital mapping was carried out based on the amount of sunlight during the summer to see how we could create harmony with the external environment. To block the area that receives a lot of the sun, the pitch of the wooden louvers was narrowed and adjusted by changing the rotation angle when viewed from the side.

Next, a digital mapping was carried out based on the view to see how a harmony with the internal environment could be created. Considering the preference of blocking the view of the buildings in front while being able to see the sky and the trees on the street, 50 viewing points were established inside the building, and the views from each of these locations were given scores. The appropriate angles were worked out for each location with the consideration of being able to see the same view from all angles.

The optimal balance was then determined by adding angles suited to the internal environment information to the pitch and angle obtained from the external environment data.

○ Step 3: Adding fluctuation

Fluctuations were added to provide the louvers with a natural feel by manipulating the angle when viewed from above the pitch and the horizontal rotation angle. While creating fluctuations with various patterns, the angles were determined to provide a feeling as if the sunlight is filtering through the trees (“komorebi” in Japanese) when viewed from the inside. The emphasis was on the variability and lack of uniformity when viewed from the outside. A natural state of balance was thought to be achieved when the view is consistent from any location, and there is both variation and uniformity.

○ Step 4: Optimization via simulation

The concept behind the Komorebi Wooden Louvers is to optimize for various principles rather than a single one. For this reason, around 600 proposal simulations were created, and the most balanced ones were selected. It was aimed to maximize the average view (to make the outside as visible as possible), minimize the standard deviation of the view (to ensure the outside is similarly visible from any location), and reduce solar heat gain (to enhance environmental performance).

From among these simulations, the proposals were narrowed down to five that balanced these elements. Ultimately, the proposal with the lowest number of louvers was selected from the ones with the highest performance.

Preparing a construction plan with a complex configuration

The varied layouts and angles generated by the simulation were exported using Grasshopper and shared with the construction department. The width of the materials, vertical angles, horizontal angles, and other data were color coded and exported. They were then communicated logically to those at the construction site to understand easily. A total of 90 patterns consisting of two widths, six vertical angles, and eight horizontal angles, each corresponding to the different material widths, were prepared.

Beyond the wooden louvers' aesthetic appeal, this project focused on their optimization based on diverse principles. Instead of merely isolating the interior from the exterior, the goal was to devise an opening mechanism that harmonizes with both the interior and exterior environments.

Creative reuse of bench materials from demolished existing buildings

To conserve resources, wooden benches from demolished existing buildings, scheduled to be thrown away, were used. The seat and backboard were disassembled to minimize waste and upcycled into two types of louvers with different depths.

Applying 20 different types of paint to check for differences in weather resistance

The facade made of pipes represents the project team’s intention to continue creating and is planned as a testing ground for exterior design. Therefore, 20 different types of paint were applied to the Komorebi Wooden Louvers to check for differences in weather resistance. Not only was the wood installed, but also were different protective coatings applied for exposure tests to determine which louvers deteriorate first.

New needs, such as durable coatings that do not compromise the aesthetic appeal of the wood, are continuously being developed. A facade that would change gradually over time was sought to be achieved through trial and error using digital technology.