WPI-ICReDD’s new building, towards revolutionizing research and sustainability

The new building of Hokkaido University’s Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD), completed in early 2023, is the newest addition to Hokkaido University’s Creative Research Institute building complex, located in the North Campus area. An opening ceremony was held on June 16, 2023.

In the new building, two mix laboratories and a smart laboratory are provided with advanced technology and equipment to support different types of research. (Photo: Miho Nagao)

WPI-ICReDD was officially established in Hokkaido University in October 2018 as a part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Four-and-a-half years later, the research center has an independent facility, having been previously concentrated in the main building of Hokkaido University’s Creative Research Institute.

This new four-story, 5,500 m² WPI-ICReDD building is characterized by novel functionalities for revolutionizing research in chemistry. The two-story “Fusion Research Office” brings together researchers of varying backgrounds, thus promoting more interdisciplinary collaborations. The open space and lounge areas offer a comfortable environment, not limited to working, but also for relaxation and casual interactions.

The façade of the new building of WPI-ICReDD, also known as the North Campus’s General Research Building No. 8 (Photo: Yuta Kihara)

Contributing towards sustainability, the building has acquired the “Net Zero Energy Building (ZEB) Ready” certification by employing a “passive architectural design.” Striving for over 50% primary energy savings compared to standard buildings, the new building can withstand the weather of any season with minimal energy consumption: natural ventilation to provide cooling during summer and highly insulating walls to maintain enough warmth for winter.

Researchers are stationed in a spacious “Fusion Research Office” that can accommodate both work and recreation needs (top-left). The office is only a few steps away from laboratories, lounges (top-right), and a kids’ space (bottom-right). Environmentally conscious and meticulously designed, every room’s height and width allow natural light to beam in from the south-side of the building (Bottom-right photo: Miho Nagao).

Through the Artificial Force Induced Reaction (AFIR) method, a computationally assisted chemical reaction calculation system developed by Dr. Satoshi Maeda (PI and Director of ICReDD), researchers could efficiently find potential chemical reaction paths. The method’s time-saving ability and cost-effectiveness have been widely recognized. Thus, the new facility’s computing system has improved its security and increased its network speed 10 times.

The grand opening ceremony on June 16, 2023, was attended by delegates from the government, companies, the University’s faculty members, and media. Three opening speeches were respectively delivered by President Kiyohiro Houkin of Hokkaido University, Shin Okuno (representative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), and Akira Ukawa (WPI, Program Director). The ribbon-cutting ceremony was immediately followed by a series of tours where guests explored the building and received detailed explanations on its features and functionalities by the researchers.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in front of the new building’s entrance. From left to right: Seisuke Otani (Chairman of Toda Corporation), Kenji Yoshida (representative of the Hokkaido Government), Shin Okuno (representative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), Akira Ukawa (WPI, Program Director), Kiyohiro Houkin (President of Hokkaido University), and Satoshi Maeda (Director of WPI-ICReDD). (Photo by Manami Kawamoto)

Watch the video tour around WPI-ICReDD’s new building:

Source: ICReDD’s YouTube channel