NewNormDesign and Hakuten Announce Joint Development

NewNorm Design Inc. (hereinafter "NND") and Hakuten Corporation (hereinafter "Hakuten") have signed a joint development agreement for a resource circulation rate visualization system* for architectural projects, with the goal of contributing to more sustainable development in the construction industry.

In this joint development, the resource circulation rate visualization mechanism developed by Hakuten will be implemented into "matinno," an architectural circularity platform operated by NND. This will expand the functionality of "matinno," allowing users to more efficiently calculate resource circulation rates in architectural design.

Moving forward, NND and Hakuten plan to improve the system in stages through verification to enhance its functionality and usability, while also conducting joint marketing activities to promote its adoption.

Regarding this joint agreement, Ryosuke Suzuki, General Manager of the Sustainability Promotion Department and Head of the Circular Design Room at Hakuten, stated: "Suppose you create a beautiful and functional space based on the concept of resource circulation, where that philosophy is clearly conveyed. Measuring and disclosing how much circularity that space or event actually possessed leads to greater credibility and persuasiveness regarding the concept of that space. Furthermore, through this joint development with NND, we can now make those results and analyses public, allowing us to pass on concrete methods and hints for improvement to enhance circularity in future initiatives. I believe that the accumulation of such verification and sharing will create new practices and serve as a catalyst to accelerate the realization of a circular society."

Additionally, Fara Talaiye, CEO of NND, stated: "I am truly energized by the collaboration between matinno and Hakuten to tackle the complex challenges of the circular economy and reporting. There is a significant gap between the desire to be sustainable and the ability to prove that impact with concrete data, and this collaboration feels like the missing piece of that puzzle. By fusing matinno's innovative design methods with Hakuten's expertise in communication and space, we are not just talking about a 'closed loop,' but actually building the infrastructure to quantify it. I have high expectations that this partnership will help overcome obstacles in evaluating sustainable designs and materials for corporate brands, and push us toward a truly transparent circular model. True sustainability in architecture is something we can only achieve by working together."

Since its conception in 2018, "matinno," which has undergone extensive research and verification as a SaaS platform for sustainable building materials, officially launched in January of this year. A two-week free trial is currently available via the official website below.

matinno Official Website https://matinno.co

*What is a resource circulation rate visualization system? "Resource circulation rate visualization" for events and space design is a method for measuring and visualizing the circularity of resources in event or space design, based on the Circular Transition Index (CTI) formulated by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

In this measurement, the "Circular Inflow Rate," which indicates the percentage of renewable resources relative to all resources procured for the event or space design, and the "Circular Outflow Rate," which indicates the percentage of renewable resources actually recovered relative to all discharged resources, are calculated. Furthermore, a weighted average is performed based on these to derive the "Material Circularity Rate," an indicator that shows the circularity of the resources as a whole.

By using this indicator, it becomes possible to quantitatively evaluate the actual degree of circularity in events or space designs that implement circular design. Additionally, by analyzing inflow, outflow, and overall circularity rates, it can also be used as a tool to consider next steps for realizing events or space designs with higher circularity.

The system being introduced to matinno was originally used by Hakuten to measure resource circulation rates for events and has now been implemented for architectural projects.

About Hakuten Hakuten contributes to solving the marketing challenges of companies and organizations by integrally designing diverse "experiences" under the purpose: "To create the driving force that connects people and society through heart-to-heart communication and leads to the future." With high creativity that pursues experiential value beyond the boundaries of physical and digital, the technical capabilities to realize it, and a specialized team that realizes resource-circulating events centered on circular design, they aim to maximize results as professionals in experience creation. Corporate Website: https://www.hakuten.co.jp Circular Design Room Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hktn_cdr/

About NewNormDesign NewNormDesign (NND) was established in 2021 as an architectural design firm that proposes sustainable design with the goal of redefining and designing spaces that should become the world's new norm. NND's design process goes beyond simple spatial design; it views and nurtures each project from a long-term perspective, considering total beauty, practicality, functionality, as well as branding and sustainability. For more information, please visit https://www.newnormdesign.com/ja

About matinno matinno is a platform for sustainable building materials developed by NewNormDesign. It provides evaluations regarding the sustainability and durability of building materials, material management for each project, and systems for material reuse and recycling. Through multiple functions, this platform aims to reduce CO₂ emissions throughout the entire lifecycle of a building. For more information, please visit https://www.matinno.co/jp