Earthquake Resistance Structure

We designed structures so that when there is an earthquake or other natural disaster Roppongi Hills will be a “city to escape into” rather than a city from which people run away. Various technologies are employed in Roppongi Hills to make it a city that can withstand disasters. In particular we have utilized seismic isolation and damping technologies to increase earthquake resistance in the super high rise buildings.

1．Sticky Walls

In Roppongi Hills Residences B and C, we have employed sticky walls technology. This is a technique in which a highly sticky substance is injected into the inside of box-shaped steel plates, and the resistance force that is generated when the independent internal steel plates inside alleviates shaking caused by earthquakes and wind. There are eight sticky walls installed in the central section of each floor.

2．Oil Dampers

These dampers work by absorbing the shaking of the building with the resistance force at the time the oil moves. The sensor installed inside the damper detects very slight shaking, and the damper immediately controls the flow of oil, meaning that it can alleviate shaking due to small and medium-sized earthquakes and wind as well as shaking from major earthquakes. There are 192 oil dampers installed in the Mori Tower, giving it an outstanding level of earthquake resistance.

3．Green Mass Damper

These use the pendulum effect which strongly shakes the rooftop green area insulated by the building itself and laminated rubber (normally the same as that used in a seismic isolation structure), so that the dampers installed between the laminated layers can reduce the burden on the building itself by absorbing the energy of the earthquake. These dampers are used in the Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka Complex.

4．CTF Columns

For the columns that provide a framework for the building, the inside of the steel pipes is filled with high-strength concrete. These columns have more outstanding resistance strength and deformation capacity than previous construction methods, and they are used in the Mori Tower, the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Roppongi Hills Residences B and C, and the Hollywood Beauty Plaza.

Energy Conservation and Natural Resources Conservation

In order to reduce the impact on global warming and the impact on existing infrastructure in the areas around the development zone as much as possible, we have actively worked to improve the environmental health of the overall region and to introduce energy conservation systems.

1．Cogeneration

Roppongi Hills has installed a regional cooling and heating plant which uses electricity generated by a large-scale gas turbine and the exhaust heat from that generation, and we have built a highly efficient system with outstanding energy conservation and environmental performance.
The plant enables power generation that is optimized based on fluctuations in demand for electricity and heat, and enables energy savings of about 20% compared to using commercial electric power for individual air conditioning, and CO2 and NOx emissions can also be significantly reduced.
Mori Building has established the Roppongi Energy Service Co., Ltd. through a joint capital investment with Tokyo Gas, and the business is supplying electricity and heat.

2．Intermediate Water Supply System

We have installed an intermediate water treatment facility for the area on the 5th basement level of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. The intermediate water production capacity of the intermediate water treatment facility is as much as approximately 1,000m³/day, and it is used as toilet cleaning water. As a result, the use of water supply can be reduced by approximately 30%.

3．Rainwater Use System

We have installed rainwater storage tanks at 13 locations throughout the Roppongi Hills area. We also intend to reduce rainwater loss by means of road rainwater infiltration facilities, and on-site infiltration facilities.

Super Double-Deck Elevators

We have installed these elevators in Roppongi Hills Mori Tower. Mori Tower’s “super double-deck elevators” are equipped with a pantograph joint on the part of the elevator that connects two passenger cars that can expand and contract by up to two meters, making it possible for the elevator to serve floors with varying heights.
Nippon Otis Elevator Company and Mori Building have a joint patent on this pantograph joint structure, the first of its kind in the world.