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Continuous research and development is essential
to corporate growth. Kajima proceeds proactively with R&D
targeting diversifying social and client needs. Kajima's R&D
covers a wide range of subjects from developing new technologies,
to improving the quality and productivity of construction
projects, to research on technologies to meet the needs of
society in the future, which the Company efficiently conducts
with universities, public organizations and other firms.
In fiscal 2003, the second year of the Company's Next Three-Year
Plan, Kajima emphasized R&D and its efficient promotion. Research
topics were selected on a priority basis, with emphasis on
fields closely related to market needs. Economies were realized
through greater efficiency, reducing overall R&D expenses
without compromising the Company's commitment to strong R&D
investment. There were 155 technical development topics identified
for fiscal 2003, and research investment totaled
10.5 billion, or 0.72% of net sales.
In the current challenging business environment, Kajima is
focusing its R&D on contributing to winning and expanding
contracts and reducing construction costs, and has selected
urban redevelopment, the environment, and housing as the key
market sectors. The Company's R&D initiative emphasizes technologies
associated with reducing construction costs, irrespective
of its application in new or traditional market sectors. Kajima
is also engaged in a wide spectrum of activity to contribute
to the solution of global environmental problems, from environmental
conservation to environment creation. Markets with considerable
potential are those of building renewal and life-cycle engineering
(LCE), and R&D is also being carried out in these areas.
Here are some of the major R&D results recently achieved by
Kajima. Urban redevelopment related successes included the
“Total Construction System of Shield Tunnels for Traffic Infrastructure”
which combined a series of shield tunnel technologies; the
“Self Elevating Bridge (SEB) Construction Method” for a low-cost
two-level crossover; the “Water Screen System,” a fire prevention
system for underground space; and “Construction Technology
of Underground Floor,” which provides for shorter construction
periods and higher levels of safety. In the field of environment
related projects, results included analysis and planning technologies
for the “Environmentally-Friendly Energy-Conserving Office”;
the “Assessment System for Greenspace and Water Environment”;
the “Environmental Jet Method” of combating VOC related soil
contamination; and “Resource Technology of Organic Waste,”
which is based on our METAKLES technology that converts organic
waste into bio-gas. In the field of renewal and Life Cycle
Engineering, major successes were the “Seismic Risk Assessment
Method”; and “Assessment for the Deterioration of Concrete
Structure.” In addition to these, Kajima produced results
in the area of earthquake forecasting and disaster prevention
technologies, such as “Assessment of Strong Ground Motion.”
The following are the primary technical development results
achieved in fiscal 2003.
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Total Construction System of Shield Tunnels
for Traffic Infrastructure
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Growth in urban renewal and the passage of special
legislation on public use of space deep underground have seen
the increasing use of underground space for infrastructure,
and plans that include the use of space deep underground for
arterial roads in cities have made the cut and cover method
difficult. It is in this context that Kajima has developed
new technology that has made it possible to construct special
sections of road tunnels (emergency parking bays, ramp tunnels)
deep underground, and by integrating this with previously
developed large-diameter shield tunnel technology, has developed
a “Total Construction System of Shield Tunnels for Traffic
Infrastructure.” This new technology comprises three methods:
the “shield tunneling method of partly widening cross-sectional
area,” the “shield tunneling method of reducing cross-sectional
area” and the “shield tunneling method of applying recoverable
and reusable machines.”
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Large-Scale Hybrid Air-Conditioning System
with Natural Ventilation for Offices
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The heightened level of interest in environmentally-friendly
buildings has resulted in stronger demand for natural ventilation.
As well as developing specific design tools for the cost-efficient
design of buildings using natural ventilation, Kajima has
compiled a list of items for examination at the planning stage,
including airflow simulation, assessment of the thermal environment,
and a ventilation control strategy, which have led to the
realization of large-scale hybrid air-conditioning systems
with natural ventilation for offices. In the case of some
buildings, we have commissioned natural ventilation systems
and double-skin facades, and have confirmed their favorable
performance.
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Fire Prevention System for Underground Space
Water Screen System
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As illustrated by the public use of space deep
underground, the role of underground space in urban renewal
is being re-evaluated. In doing so, however, fire safety requires
serious attention. Experiments using scaled models have been
repeated numerous times for railroad and vehicle tunnels,
underground streets, and underground parking lots, resulting
in the development of highly accurate simulation technology
for simulating fire behavior in such spaces. Furthermore,
knowledge gained through these activities has been used to
develop and construct a fire prevention system in which compartments
use water screens, a completely new concept. As well as localizing
the size of the area affected by a fire and providing a safe
evacuation environment, the system also inhibits rapid combustion,
thus minimizing structural damage.
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Development of a Quantitative Assessment
System for the Environmental Functions of Greenspaces
“m-EASE (microscale Environmental Assessment System
on Ecology)”
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Kajima has developed a quantitative assessment
system for the environmental functions of greenspaces called
“m-EASE,” a green CAD system through which a quantitative
assessment of the following six environmental functions of
greenspaces can be made: fixation of atmospheric CO2; atmospheric
purification; mitigation of heat island effects; preservation
of biological diversities; improvement of scenery; and fire
prevention. Use of this system has made it possible to promptly
and effortlessly formulate proposals for optimum greenspace
plans corresponding to customers' needs at the planning and
design stages. The system also enables constructive “quantitative
assessment of the environmental functions that greenspaces
already possess” and “prediction of future changes of the
functions of greenspaces.”
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Environmental Jet Method
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The environmental jet method is a ground contamination
cleaning technique that is able to partially clean contaminated
ground (soil and ground water) using intersecting jet flows
of water. This method has the following advantages: (1) it
is possible to partially clean at only the depths required;
(2) it can be applied to various kinds of contaminated substances;
(3) it can even be applied to contaminated layers difficult
to penetrate with water (clay, etc); and (4) it can be applied
in small places and even inside buildings.
Kajima offers the following three options, depending on the
contamination circumstances and budget for the cleaning work.
1) The Jet Replace method for substituting contaminated soil
with non-harmful materials.
2) The Jet Blend method for cleaning ground water by mixing
cleaning materials in contaminated water layers.
3) The Jet Rinse method for cleaning contaminated soil.
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