Marutake Building

The Marutake Building, a new landmark at the Bandai Exit of Niigata Station, is a rental office building with a hall on the top floor to accommodate approximately 100 people for lectures and mini-concerts. The exterior is defined by staggered double-skin arched windows. This arch window is called “compact double skin window” because by utilizing a ventilation system made from shape-memory alloy, it enables air control inside the cavity without relying on electricity or electronic control. In adopting the system, verification tests using mock-ups were carried out for about a year to confirm its operability and effectiveness, with the goal of reducing the annual heat load by 30% or more. At the time of completion, actual measurements were also conducted, and better results than those from the mock-up verification were confirmed. A seismically designed foundation was applied for its structure, which is safe and provides sufficient earthquake resistance to protect the building’s functions and assets. Because the site is highly susceptible to liquefaction, the piles are wrapped with steel pipes to ensure high earthquake resistance as well.