Ibaraki Missionary Area
Inheriting the “Office in the Forest” concept
On April 10, 2016, five years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the new Seicho-No-Ie Ibaraki Missionary Center was inaugurated at the foot of Mount Atago, in the city of Kasama, Ibaraki prefecture. The new center is 10 minutes by car from Iwama station (JR Joban line). Built in a site area of 5,752 square meters and total floor area of 678 square meters, the center is a single-story wooden building. Making use of energy conservation and energy production, the building achieves almost net-zero energy consumption, qualifying it as a Zero Energy Building (ZEB). The exterior, which highlights the natural grain of the building materials, harmonizes with the surrounding lush natural landscape.
The building is divided into two large sections: the office section and the large training center section. The office section contains large windows and no partition walls. The large, open area, is used for office, dining hall, Chief of the Missionary Area’s office space, small training center, White Dove Association area, praying area, accessible toilet. It also has showers and can be used to house up to 30 people during Spiritual Training Seminars and other events. The large training center is a dynamic, column-free octagonal structure connected to the office section by a covered walkway.
Cedar and Cypress sourced from Ibaraki prefecture comprise 80% of the building material. Properly managed and certified wood was selected.
LED lighting, solar heat collector panel, geothermal energy, underfloor thermal storage materials were used to achieve energy conservation. Energy production is achieved with the 45kW solar power generator.
The energy from the solar power generator charges the electric car and, during night time, the car supplies energy to the building.
The “Seicho-No-Ie New Ibaraki Missionary Center” received third-party certification for ZEB
First building in Japan to receive ZEB certification
An article about the “Seicho-No-Ie New Ibaraki Missionary Center” was published in “Kankyo Business Online.”