Background: Existing Japanese Systems Related to Sustainable Housing

In order to expand sustainable homes into the housing market, effective methods or systems for promoting sustainable housing design need to be widely disseminated in the society. In Japan, there are three important public systems related to sustainable housing design, namely the Housing Performance Indication System (HPIS), long-life quality housing (LQH) certification, and Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE) for detached houses. The HPIS has stipulated the housing performance indication standards over 10 categories. The LQH system certifies houses that meet the criteria of long-life quality housing. CASBEE for detached houses comprehensively assesses and rates the sustainability of detached houses. However, there still remains room for further improvement in the set of these existing Japanese systems. First, the application of the systems to existing homes has been extremely limited until now. Second, CASBEE for detached houses, the one and only national comprehensive system, has not been used so often thus far. Moreover, readiness of the systems for emergent challenges, namely climate change and aging population, has also been insufficient

Requirements for Sustainable Housing Design

Buildings including homes are related to a variety of environmental, social, and economic problems. In the twenty-first century, especially two major problems, namely “climate change” and financial problems resulting from “aging population,” are expected to become more serious globally. In order to curb the progress of climate change, building sector has to strengthen “mitigation” measures, including improvement in energy efficiency of buildings and utilization of renewable energy. Building sector must also strengthen “adaptation” measures, aiming to reduce adverse effects caused by climate change. On the other hand, homes need to be transformed into those which contribute to reduce illnesses and injuries, which tend to increase in accordance with aging population. Taking accessible and universal design into homes is effective to increase mobility of occupants as well as to prevent injuries. Homes are used for a very long time; therefore, these considerations need to be comprehensively taken into homes from the beginning

Discussion and Conclusion: Effectiveness, Characteristics and Future Prospects of the Methodology

Following the control system for promoting sustainable home design, we have designed a home and built it. The quantitative evaluations and reactions of the occupants and visitors on the home indicate that if system users closely follow the methodology, they can comprehensively achieve sustainable homes, which have high environmental performance. Meanwhile, the results of the study have suggested that this methodology has several characteristics, besides comprehensiveness. First, the diagram of the control system itself is useful because it concisely explains the whole picture of the sustainable design processes on both new and existing homes. Second, the “sustainable design guidelines” and “sustainability checklist” are user-friendly since the material and spatial elements are equivalent to real parts of homes. Moreover, the “element – variable – desired value” structure in the guidelines and checklist is superior in “adaptability to regional differences” and “flexibility toward changes over time.” We expect that this methodology is widely used, in coordination with the existing methods for sustainable housing. Furthermore, it can be theoretically applied to other categories of human activities, which are regarded as the complex of material and spatial elements

System Control for Sustainability: Application to Building Design

In order to meet environmental, social and economic sustainability objectives, an immediate transformation needs to occur in housing design. We have been investigating a methodology for sustainable home design by applying control science because it can be applied to all of goal-oriented tasks. Our first study has shown the basic control system for sustainability. After that, regarding home as the complex of material and spatial elements, we have identified each element’s variables and their desired values that lead to sustainability. Utilizing these schemes, we have composed the “control system for promoting sustainable home design” in which the “sustainable design guidelines” and “sustainability checklist” are incorporated. Following this control system, we have actually designed a home and constructed it. The results of this study indicate that if system users closely follow the methodology, they can design comprehensively sustainable and sufficiently energy-saving homes. Furthermore, the studies imply that this methodology is superior in user-friendliness as well as adaptable to regional differences and changes over time

Methodology of Applying Control Science to Sustainable Housing Design

The previous chapter has demonstrated the “basic control system for sustainability”, “model of sustainability”, and “two-step preparatory work for sustainable design”. Based on these basic schemes, this chapter shows the methodology of applying control science to sustainable home design. First, using two factors, that is, “material” and “space”, we identify important elements of home. Next, we provide the two-step preparatory work for sustainable home design, namely, (1) determining the relationships between the standard home and sustainability and (2) sustainability checkup on a home as an object. After that, we derive “sustainable design guidelines” from step 1 and “sustainability checklist” from step 2, respectively. Finally, we compose the “control system for promoting sustainable home design” in which the sustainable design guidelines and sustainability checklist are incorporated. This practical control system demonstrates sustainable design processes for both new and existing homes

Comprehensive Strategy for Sustainable Housing Design

Sustainable housing needs to be designed to maximize occupants’ well-being and minimize the environmental load. The pursuit of combining these two different aspects toward sustainability is a goal-oriented task. The science of control can be applied to all goal-oriented tasks. Therefore, applying control science, we have been progressing in research on sustainable housing design. Our previous study has produced the control system for promoting sustainable housing design in which sustainable design guidelines and sustainability checklist are incorporated. Based on these accomplished results, this study has comprehensively visualized the process of producing and revising the sustainable design guidelines and sustainability checklist. Following this visualized process, also this study has concretely shown the production and revision processes of the sustainable design guidelines. The study results suggest that the comprehensive visualization can make these processes more manageable and help system designers to produce and revise the guidelines more efficiently. Furthermore, these results have led to indicating how to adjust the guidelines to different countries or regions as well as changing situations over time

Basic Schemes: Preparations for Applying Control Science to Sustainable Design

It is the ultimate goal for humankind to deal with various problems and achieve sustainability. Control science can be applied to all goal-oriented tasks and has already produced remarkable results. Accordingly, applying control science to the task of achieving sustainability is a rational and reliable approach. In order to apply control science to sustainability issues, our first study has shown the “basic control system for sustainability” as well as the “model of sustainability.” After that, in order to identify system components of practical control systems for promoting sustainable design, we have devised “two-step preparatory work for sustainable design.” The two steps of this preparatory work are “determining the relationships between the standard human activities and sustainability” and “sustainability checkup on human activities as an object.

Case Study: Detached House Designed by Following the Control System

The previous chapter has demonstrated the control system for promoting sustainable housing design in which the sustainable design guidelines and sustainability checklist are incorporated. Following this control system, we have actually designed and constructed a detached house. To be concrete, the homeowner and the architects of the housing manufacture have designed the home’s parts, or elements, so that as much as possible the elements’ variables meet their desired values. The sustainable design guidelines and sustainability checklist have been readily accepted because the material and spatial elements are equivalent to real parts of the home. After the home started to be used, we have obtained external evaluations of the home’s sustainability performance. For example, CASBEE for Detached Houses, a comprehensive assessment system, has readily ranked the house in the highest “S.” An energy-saving performance assessment has shown that this home has reduced energy consumption by over 70%, as compared with the average home. On the other hand, the reactions of the occupants and visitors have indicated the comfort, healthiness and safety of this house. Furthermore, this home has received a sustainable housing award, especially due to its extremely high sustainability and energy-saving performance

Sustainable Housing Design: System Control Strategy

Current housing design faces various environmental, social, and economic issues, such as climate change, aging population, and workplace needs. Dealing with such issues and pursuing sustainability is a target-oriented challenge. The science of system control can be utilized for all target-oriented tasks. Therefore, applying system control, we have been developing methods for sustainable design. Based on our finished research and practice results, this chapter shows how to design sustainable homes. Section 2 briefly illustrates the methods with two figures: (1) the control system for promoting sustainable housing design, (2) the process of producing and revising sustainable housing design guidelines. Section 3 demonstrates a concrete process of creating sustainable design guidelines. First, it identifies global and general problems related to current homes and specifies requirements for sustainable housing design. Next, it converts these requirements into a tabular form of “housing elements, variables, and their desired values.” The completed table has turned out compact “sustainable housing design guidelines” for general use. The methods have four significant features: (1) total visualization for promoting sustainable design, (2) user-friendliness, (3) comprehensiveness, (4) flexibility toward optimization