01732 759725
8
BULLETIN
Konica Minolta has been awarded a
Japanese Good Design Award 2014 by
the Japan Institute of Design Promotion
(JPD) for the architectural design of its
new research and development labs on
the company’s technology development
campus in Hachioji near Tokyo.
Opened in April 2014, the Smart R&D
Office for Knowledge Work and Transboundary
Communication (SKT) is designed to encourage
innovation and collaboration through a purpose-
built 'co-creation field' for employees, partners
and customers.
The design of the seven-floor building also
reflects Konica Minolta’s brand message, ‘Giving
Shape to Ideas’ and the brand concepts of light
and colour.
These themes are clearly evident in the
spacious atrium at the heart of the office. Flooded
with light from a large skylight and softened by
the planting of trees and greenery, the space
features wide staircases that provide engineers
and researchers with mental and physical
stimulation and the opportunity to bump into and
exchange ideas with colleagues.
Employees can chat on the staircase or, for
longer interactions, use laptop bars or enclosed
skyboxes around the perimeter of the atrium. For
more formal interactions, there is a choice of more
than 50 colour-coded conference rooms, while the
Spring of Wisdom in the ‘Knowledge Court’ (at the
bottom of the main photo) facilitates collaboration
between different teams and disciplines.
Befitting Konica Minolta’s commitment
to environmental sustainability, the SKT has
achieved the highest level of certification under
the Comprehensive Assessment System for Built
Environment Efficiency (CASBEE), which evaluates
buildings according to their energy-efficiency,
environmental qualities, comfort and design.
Key features include solar panels on the
rooftop; natural ventilation; skylights with electric
sunshades; eaves and louvres to block late
afternoon sun; and sensors that adjust lighting in
line with natural light levels. To maximise the use
of natural light throughout the year, the atrium
has an inverted cone shape.
Green
exhibition
stand
The cardboard Eco
Banner stand from
Printdesigns is a 100%
recyclable alternative to
stands that use plastic
or metal components. It
is made from recycled
100mm Ultra Board with
a honeycomb centre and
is lightweight and easy
to transport.
.
com
Pedal-powered printers
on tour
As part of the Eco-Schools Green
Flag Award Scheme, an international
programme that rewards environmental
management and sustainable education
in schools, Dumfries and Galloway is
sending six pedal-powered printers on a
tour of all 120 schools in its area
The Epson Workforce Pro WF-5690 inkjet
printers, which use up to 80% less power than
comparable laser models, are connected to a
push bike equipped with a dynamo that with
just 5 seconds of pedalling can generate enough
power to print a page.
The aims of the project are to raise student
awareness of energy use and to encourage schools
to adopt energy-efficient printing technology to
help meet ambitious CO2 emissions reductions
targets of 42% across Scotland by 2020.
Replacing existing laser devices with Epson
inkjet printers will also cut costs. Dumfries &
Galloway estimates that if it replaces every printer
in every school with an Epson Workforce Pro WF-
5690 it will save £240,000 over a five year period.
Konica Minolta wins Good Design
Award for new R&D labs
Smarter motoring
Automated Systems Group Ltd (ASL) is looking
forward to lower fuel costs and a smaller
carbon footprint after implementing advanced
fleet monitoring software and standardising
on the 2015 Vauxhall Insignia Design Nav for
its 30-strong engineer vehicle fleet.
ASL Managing Director Mark Garius said: “As a
model aimed at the fleet market, providing mobile
connectivity and satellite navigation, the Vauxhall
Insignia makes for an efficient safe working
environment for the engineers. When you then
look at competitive pricing, high specifications and
fewer than 99 gm/km CO2 emissions, combined
with a significantly lower benefit in kind for the
driver, you have a winning formula”.
Another major selling point for ASL, which has
a six-figure annual fuel bill, was 20% better fuel
economy than its old vehicles.
Fleet management software gives ASL a
complete overview of the fleet and highlights
wasteful driving habits, such as harsh acceleration
and braking, excessive speeds or engine revs and
periods of excessive vehicle idling. In addition,
real-time telematics automatically record CO2
emissions for each of ASL’s vehicles.
0845 207 7000
•
Blue Angel award for
Kyocera
Blue Angel, the respected environmental
certification programme run by Germany’s
Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature
Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, has
named Kyocera Document Solutions Deutschland
GmbH as winner of its Blue Angel 2014 award.
Presented as part of the German Sustainability
Awards, the award was given to Kyocera in
recognition of its commitment to environmentally
responsible printing. Kyocera was the first printer
manufacturer to achieve Blue Angel certification
for one of its products, in
1997. Today, its line-up
includes around
50 Blue Angel-
accredited print
devices.
engel.de
Epson Workforce Pro WF-5690
