UNS — Urban Missile Design and Conservation (URDC Labo) Architecture Study Program, Faculty of Engineering (FT) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta held a guest lecture, Tuesday (7/3/2023). The activity which was held in commemoration of the 47th Dies Natalis UNS was collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Science (IGSES) Kyushu University, Japan.
The speaker was Prof. Dr. Eng. Aya Hagishima from IGSES Kyushu University. In her lecture, Prof. Aya delivered material on ‘Towards Realizing Carbon Neutral Buildings Recent Policy Implementation and Research Progress in Japan’.
“In Japan, there is a traditional building with a wooden house concept, namely the Todai-ji Temple in Nara. The structure is made of all wood and has a floor that is above the ground,” she explained.
She explained that a model of a house or building can keep the room humidity. If it’s cold, the wood can swell, preventing moisture from entering the room. Meanwhile, when the air outside is hot, the wood can shrink so that the wind can enter the room.
“However, currently in Japan, every house must have a lot of electrical appliances that consume energy, such as microwaves and air conditioners. There has been an increase compared to previous years, but now people start to understand the concept of a zero energy house. They started installing solar panels on the roofs of their houses,” she added.
As the 5th largest CO2 emitting country in the world, Japan is also committed to minimize greenhouse gas (GHG). As much as 85% of emissions in Japan are generated by CO2 emissions and as much as 31.8% of CO2 emissions come from the building sector, both domestic and business. Therefore, efforts are needed to reduce these emissions, one of which is through a zero energy house.
“One effort that can be done is to modulate the hot air in the room through architectural design. This can be done by making ventilation in each room so that the air can be controlled. During summer, hot air can escape smoothly. Meanwhile, in winter, the room can withstand warm temperatures in it,” she added. Humas UNS
Reporter: Bayu Aji Prasetya
Editor: Dwi Hastuti
Translator: Mifta Muriska