An apartment complex to test environmentally friendly technologies opened Thursday in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward, with Gov. Yukio Aoshima on hand at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The complex is equipped with solar batteries, a wind-powered generator and rooftop grass to provide insulation for warmth and reduce the use of electricity for air-conditioning. The green features will cut the amount of carbon dioxide generated from the complex by 90 tons a year, metropolitan government officials said.
The 1 billion yen complex also has an underground tank to store rainwater, which will be used for a pond and woods within the compound. "The apartments look so comfortable to live in and I really envy (the residents)," Aoshima said. The metropolitan government will regularly collect data from the complex to work out guidelines for construction of environmentally friendly housing, the officials said.