World’s first house with carbon absorbing concrete built in Japan by design studio Nendo

New Delhi: The Japanese design studio Nendo has constructed the world’s first house using the carbon negative concrete known as ‘CO2 SUICOM’ in the charming resort town of Karuizawa, located in the eastern part of the Nagano Prefecture in Japan. The town is located at the foot of Mount Asama, one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. The private residence has been constructed on a triangular property extending 110 metres in length.

The concrete screens have blocks that ensure privacy of the residents from passing vehicles and pedestrians. The angles of each of the blocks can be adjusted to fine tune the line-of-sight. About 2,050 blocks are staggered in parallel rows to create five walls, each three metres in height. The gaps between the walls are filled with living spaces, with the blocks angled to provide privacy to the bedroom and the bathroom, while providing open vistas to the living and dining rooms.

What is CO2-SUICOM

The material used for the blocks is known as CO2-SUICOM, where an industrial byproduct along with a carbon dioxide absorbing material is used instead of a part of the concrete. The material, which is short for CO2-Storage and Utilization for Infrastructure by COncrete Materials replaces more than half of the cement with a more environmentally friendly option. As the substitute hardens, it captures carbon dioxide from the air, bringing down the total emissions from manufacturing the concrete used to zero or less.

Potential applications of CO2-SUICOM

The material was developed by Kajima Corporation, The Chugoku Electric Power Company, Denka Company and Landes Corporation. The concrete has the potential to absorb carbon from various sources such as steel plants, power plants and cement plants. The material can further reduce the environmental footprint by using industrial byproducts such as coal ash and blast furnace slag. The absorbed carbon dioxide is trapped inside the concrete.