The Egg of the Earth Project
 It is 7 years since the construction of the building
“The Egg of the Earth” was proposed. From the beginning,
this building was intended to be a symbol of OM Solar
Association, the focal point for research and
development, and the center of information distribution.
This place was named “The Egg of the Earth” at the
request of OM Solar Association staff, that a lot of
technologies would be created and developed here.
 What can we achieve by utilizing this larger than
33,000sqm. of land at the lakefront of Lake Hamana?
Architecture based on allowing people to live
comfortably. Landscape designed around the restoration
of the ecosystem of the lake front of Lake
Hamana. Various “passive” technologies, such as the
passive solar system (i.e. the OM Solar System), have
been studied.
Architecture and configuration of space
Construction of six offices connected by a corridor, and an adjoining cafeteria, was planned based on the concept that the buildings in this site should be built in the style of people-oriented OM Solar design, and also built utilizing the local trees; two story buildings that blend with the landscape, adopt the various OM Solar system.
 The Tenryu Cedar (used as lumber after being dried in
the OM Lumber Dry Warehouse) was originally forested by Meizen Kinpara, who is the leading pioneer of the “Building houses with the local trees“ campaign, and also a great personage of Hamamatsu.
Cafeteria
 The cafeteria has a white vault ceiling and a series
of windows, through which you can look out over Lake
Hamana.
It is used not only for dining, but also for many other
purposes such as workshops run by OM Solar, and for
meetings.
 Built along the lake front of Lake Hamana, the long roof
running from north to south is able to collect sun heat
both from the east and the west.
There is also a rooftop observation deck on the
Cafeteria building, which is the best spot for taking
the view. If you are lucky, you can see the top of Mt.
Fuji from here during winter.
Office buildings
 Each
office room is about the same size as an ordinary house
and is designed without a supporting pillar. Also,
various types of air handling units are installed in
each room and are intentionally exposed and suspended
from the ceiling so that you can determine which type is
being used.
 Considering its function as an office building, this
building is designed to have less window openings on the
south side to block excessive sunlight, while utilizing
the sun light from the north side.
The entrance
 At the entrance, a door incorporating Glass art
welcomes visitors. An image of a green hill is made up
of pieces of millimeter-thick colored glass, which are
placed between 2 sheets of glass.
All the staff from OM Solar Association and OM
Environmental Planning participated in the process of
making the glasswork.
Going through the entrance and walking up the stairs,
you will reach the corridor and can see Lake Hamana at
its end.
 
The alcove
 When the door is opened, it will make about 260
square meters of multipurpose room. In the courtyard,
you can see the organic weeds called “Azeturf” and
plants found around Lake Hamana.
Equipments
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The solar roof collects solar heat, and the air
handling unit is built into this roof.
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“System Z” and “Biomass Toilet”
A sewage system is not used on this site. Instead, a
private water purification system “System Z” and a
“Biomass toilet” are installed.
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The titanium oxide screen
The white screen called “The titanium oxide screen”
is used to cool down the corridor and office top light.
Sprinkling water on the white screen (which has titanium
oxide applied on its surface) helps dissipate heat in
the building.
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Vietnamese Ventilation Fan
The ventilation fan ventilates the hot air in the
building by using only wind power. It is made in
Vietnam.
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Landscape
 Lake Hamana, where “The Egg of the Earth” is located,
is a brackish lake.
This land was originally used as an eel farm. It was
then landfilled and then left desolated. The aim of this
“The Egg of the Earth Project” is restoration of the
lakefront of Lake Hamana, eventually even providing a
source of water for the lake.
All the vegetation planted at the site is from
indigenous breeds of the area; they were grown from
seeds and cuttings collected around Lake Hamana and The
Miyakoda River. Coupled with the design of the
earthworks surrounding the building, the plants will
eventually become a forest and environ the whole
building. It will take us a good 5 to 10 years to
complete the forest, as well as the water purification
system (comprised of the water plants in the Water
Purification pond and the Water Rejuvenation channel on
the site).
Pond
 As this place used to be an eel farm, the land
already contains a clay layer for the purpose of water
resistance, and this layer is now reused to create the
pond. Some parts of the land with vegetation were
retained as floating islands.
Also, the wastewater from the office is treated in our
private water purification system, “System Z”. It is
sent to the pond after going through the First
Observational Pond, the Water purification pond, and the
Second Observational Pond (which grows water plants that
purify wastewater).
A water pumping windmill named “Yellow tail”, made in
Australia. The water in the pond is pumped up by “Yellow
tail” and sent to the water purification
channel where phragmites and reeds grow, which cleanse
the water biologically. The cleansed water is finally
sent back to the pond.
  
Landscape
The soil remaining after the ponds were dug was used
to make undulating banks and they form part of the
landscape on the site. The wire nettings called
“futon-kago” are used for the cuboid banks, which
enables us to plant vegetation not only on the top of
the bank, but also the side of the bank.
Seedlings planted on the banks surrounding the buildings
will eventually grow into a forest, becoming an
important part of the landscape.
 
Grassy roof
 The alcove, the reading room, and staff entrance have
“grassy roofs” which utilize a lightweight soil called
“Aqua soil”.
Acorn Project
Except for the sods, no plants were purchased for
“The Egg of the Earth” project. Under the supervision of
a professional landscape designer, all the vegetation on
the site was grown from seeds and cuttings of trees, or
transplanted from the indigenous plants grown on the
site. The seeds and cuttings were collected from the
indigenous plants around Lake Hamana or Miyakoda River.
We call this project “Acorn Project” and everything –
from collecting seeds, growing them and planting them –
is done by OM Solar Association and OM Environmental
Planning staff.
 
Website(Japanese) :http://omsolar.jp/tamago/
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