In the beautiful town of Karuizawa, Japan, there’s a special house that’s grabbing attention for its unique building material. This house uses the world’s first concrete that can remove CO2 from the air.
Karuizawa, close to Nagano, is famous for its mountains and pleasant weather, making it a popular spot for tourists.
The house was designed by a Japanese design company called Nendo. What makes this house special is its walls, which are made of a type of concrete called “CO2-SUICOM.”
This special concrete was created by joining forces with companies like Kajima, Chugoku Electric Power Co., Denka, and Landes Co. The clever thing about CO2-SUICOM is that it helps cut down on carbon emissions. It does this by using leftovers from industries and a material that can suck up CO2 from the air.
This new concrete is a step towards solving the pollution caused by making regular cement and concrete. Around the world, making cement and concrete is responsible for about 8% of all carbon emissions. In Japan, just making cement adds about 1.2% to the country’s total carbon pollution.
Nendo didn’t just stop at using eco-friendly materials for the house. They had a smart idea to make the concrete walls act like filters. These walls can help clean the air by taking in CO2, making the house both stylish and good for our planet.
This house in Karuizawa is a fantastic example of how we can build homes that are both modern and kind to the environment.
With its special concrete walls, designed by Nendo, it shows how smart design can help fight climate change by cutting down on carbon emissions and cleaning the air. It’s a great blend of innovation and sustainability, making it a standout eco-friendly home.