LEED

Osaka University Minoh Campus receives Gold Rating in the green building rating system LEED

Osaka University’s Minoh Campus, which is composed of the Research and Education Hub and Global Village Minoh Semba, opened in April 2021.

The Research and Education Hub had already earned a Gold Rating in the green building rating system LEED for New Construction and Major Renovation (LEED-NC), the second in Japan. In addition, the entire campus, including Global Village Minoh Semba, recently acquired certification under LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND), making OU the first national university to receive this certification.

Osaka University will continue to be active in order to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a carbon neutral society while keeping environmental concerns in mind.

LEED-ND -- Minoh Campus was highly evaluated in the following points:

• Suitability of the location and wise use of land
  • Internal campus streets connect the university with the surrounding neighborhood and ecosystems and their diversity are maintained
• Area development approach and community design
  • A pedestrian-friendly environment with affordable housing
• Eco-friendly infrastructure and buildings
  • Efficient use of water and prevention of pollution on the construction site

LEED-NC -- Minoh Campus was highly evaluated in the following points:

• Sustainability of the premises
  • Excellent public transport connections and installation of electric car charging stations
• High water and energy efficiency
  • High energy efficiency (primary energy consumption is about half of that of former Minoh Campus), water-saving sanitation and hygiene facilities, and use of rain water

What is LEED?

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an international green building rating system for evaluating pioneering efforts to construct buildings considering the sustainability of the structures.

In this system, used in more than 180 countries around the world, buildings that fulfill certification requirements are given one of four ratings (Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Certified) based on the number of points earned in environmental performance assessment.

• U.S. Green Building Council
• Green Building Japan (link in Japanese)

Reason for Acquiring LEED Certification

In designing the concept of the new Minoh Campus associated with the move to its new location, OU held up the idea of creating an eco-friendly, human-friendly, and future-oriented campus as one of the four pillars of the concept. In order to realize energy conservation, resource conservation, sustainability, and a low-carbon society, the university set the goal of acquiring LEED certification.

Energy conservation experiments

In addition to the acquisition of LEED certification, at the eco-friendly, human-friendly Minoh Campus, Osaka University and Daikin Industries, with which OU signed comprehensive research partnership agreement, are involved in a joint research project on learning environments which take energy conservation and comfort into account, using the campus as a testing ground.

Overview of the Minoh Campus

Research and Education Hub
Lot Area: 5,999m2 / Building Area: 4,338m2 / Total Floor Area: 24,896m2 / Structure: steel construction /steel-reinforced concrete / No. of floors: 10 (above ground)

Global Village Minoh Semba
Lot Area: 2,000m2 / Building Area: 1,034m2 / Total Floor Area: 8,352m2 / Structure: reinforced concrete / No. of floors: 12 (above ground)