Kajima reaffirms commitment to investing the new solutions for the build environment through its initiatives at its global R&D hub, The GEAR, and Kajima Ventures.
Previously known as the “Kajima Global Hub” when Kajima broke ground at Changi Business Park on a 5,235 square meter plot in August 2019, it was revealed at an executive update session on March 2, 2022, that the development had been officially renamed to “The GEAR: Kajima Lab for Global Engineering, Architecture, and Real Estate” (The GEAR) by Keisuke Koshijima, EVP, Kajima Corporation. Mr. Koshijima, who oversees all global operations of the Kajima group, further dropped a teaser of Kajima’s latest initiative, Kajima Ventures, the venture arm of Kajima. During this session, Kajima shared about its R&D initiatives at The GEAR, ranging construction productivity through the use of robotics, implementing sustainability-focused solutions, and its system architecture for designing intelligent buildings.
“[We now] have a clear roadmap of how we are going to realise The GEAR as a building of the future – a building embedded with smart devices, sensors, intelligence, and digital feedback loops,” said Mr. Koshijima during his closing remarks. He added, with Kajima Ventures, “we will actively explore blue ocean opportunities and as champions of innovation unafraid of testing the untested, we will continue to put resources behind R&D collaborations for access to cutting edge solutions.”
From research to reality
Equipped with 18 distinct testbed zones for new solutions, The GEAR is touted to become a living lab for creation, experimentation, and exploration. Kajima intends to leverage its experience from The GEAR by implementing similar cutting-edge technologies not seen before in Singapore to its other projects – 55 Market Street, a recent commercial building acquisition, being the immediate focus.
Some proposed firsts include the installation of water-retaining pavements for its outdoor flooring to mitigate urban heat, the use of artificial K-soil to reduce water consumption for irrigation, and demonstrative use of CO2-SUICOM, a proprietary carbon negative concrete perfected by Kajima in Japan. Kajima also noted that they are currently in discussion with some partners to explore opportunities for the latter to install their newest solutions – targeting those that will be first installations in Singapore – at the office building.