Objectives
The Association for Environmentally Symbiotic Housing is composed
of various private corporations, agencies, and municipalities
related to housing and local development in Japan. The common
purpose of our work in these fields is to deal holistically
with the various environmental problems worldwide, in our regions,
and in our homes, in order to build a sustainable society for
future generations.
The members of the Association have agreed to declare the following
eight goals shaped by this purpose and to express the Associationﾕs
determination to continually promote our activities in order
to achieve them.
For
the protection of the global environment:
1.
We promote low energy consumption throughout the lifecycle of
housing and local developments, and we encourage the use of
natural and other alternative energy sources to help prevent
global warming. (Saving energy)
2. We promote
the reuse and recycling of resources throughout the lifecycle
of housing and local developments, and the minimization of wastes.
(Efficient use of resources & reduction of wastes)
For the creation of a harmonious local environment:
3.
We promote the investigation of the climate, geography,
ecological system, and culture of each site and of its local
environment, for the development of housing and neighborhoods
that are regionally appropriate and beautiful. (Harmony with
the local environment)
4. We will carefully
plan the relationships between indoor spaces and outdoor spaces
according to the condition of the site and its surroundings
in order to make the most of the benefits of nature. (Enjoying
the benefits of nature)
For the safety, health and comfort of living environments:
5.
We promote housing and local development that ensure basic safety,
health, and comfort according to the attributes of each site,
and that are planned with consideration of the characteristics
of individual residents. (Safety, health, and comfort at home)
6. In the case of collective housing, we promote the
formation of cooperative communities of residents and neighbors,
as well as the provision of amenable individual homes. (Supporting
a cooperative community)
For the domestic and international promotion of these aims:
7.
We will foster an understanding of Symbiotic Housing
objectives, methods, and lifestyles among housing manufacturers,
suppliers, designers, craftsmen, and residents throughout Japan,
and promote the disclosure of relevant information. (Disclosure
of information)
8. While developing housing
complex model projects throughout Japan, we will promote the
exchange of information and know-how both domestically and internationally.
(Exchange of information and know-how)
Overview
1) Scrap and Build Housing
In recent years, the Japanese building industry has maintained
a construction level of approximately 1,600,000 homes per year.
These homes have an average lifespan of 25 to 30 years, a much
shorter period of usage compared to European or American standards.
In other words, the industry's massive output is largely dependent
upon what has been called the "scrap and build" method.
2)Housing and Global Environmental
Issues
While this rapid rate of housing production has been an indispensable
force for growth of the postwar Japanese economy, it has been
a source of grave problems as well. The large amounts of energy
and resources consumed during the construction, use, and disposal
of housing result in the overflow of wastes, the production
of carbon dioxide and other pollutants that cause global warming,
and other environmental problems that are impossible to overlook.
Clearly, these problems are not just local issues, especially
considering Japan's relationship with the foreign countries
from which it imports most of its energy and resources. It is
imperative that these issues are dealt with on a global level.
3)Problems of Housing Quality
It is true that postwar Japanese housing production developed
rapidly in terms of both quality and quantity. However, examining
such issues as the size of a housing unit, the appropriateness
of its construction techniques and durability according to region
and residents, the health and comfort of its interior and exterior
and the cost of related measures, as well as the overview of
the residential and natural landscapes, brings to light the
many issues still to be tackled. While the construction of new
housing units is predicted to gradually decrease in the long
term, the promotion of better-quality housing that addresses
such issues will also create new demand within the domestic
housing market.
4)Towards
Sustainable Housing and a Sustainable Society
It is the responsibility of the respective company and agency
involved in housing production and distribution, as well as
of each resident, to be aware of the environmental problems
confronting housing and local development. The issues of resources,
energy, wastes, and the basic, all-inclusive theme of "quality",
whether of private houses or of communal housing, are, together
with the reform movement in construction, urgent topics in the
realization of "Environmental Symbiosis" and "sustainable
growth" within a "cycle-based society."
5)the Symbiotic Housing movement
In 1990,having foreseen such a state of affairs, a group of
public and private-sector professionals joined forces under
the banner of "Environmentally Symbiotic Housing",
first functioning as a research body then as an organization
for Symbiotic Housing promotion and realization. For six years
the organization studied technologies and organizational systems
from a wide variety of approaches to help address problems in
housing and in local development. A national subsidiary scheme
set up during this period aided in carrying out over forty projects
around Japan. These are primarily projects by public corporations
and municipalities, with the completed works playing an important
part in furthering the understanding and use of Symbiotic Housing.
6)Moving Towards
Housing and Local Development in the 21st Century
The Association for the Promotion of Environmentally Symbiotic
Housing was formed in order to continue this movement, successfully
uniting member groups of diverse business types and categories,
design methods, construction techniques, markets, and marketing
methods. Whether involved in the planning, design, production,
construction, marketing, or maintenance of housing and local
development, member groups share a common goal - to investigate,
propose, create, and verify Environmentally Symbiotic Housing
in terms of methods, systems, and attitudes. The Association
was founded to further this common goal, and to provide a forum
for cooperation and the exchange of information.
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