Sapporo Convention Center　GBJ LEED certification project interview

Miyazaki: First, could you give us an overview of the Sapporo Convention Center?
Masuda: The Sapporo Convention Center is a full-service convention facility that hosts a wide range of events, including international conferences, academic meetings, exhibitions, and receptions. It opened in 2003. With a total floor area of approximately 20,000 m², the center comprises a Main Hall, Special Conference Hall, Mid-sized Hall, Small Hall, and 15 meeting rooms. The Main Hall, which serves as the center’s primary event space, covers approximately 2,600 m² and can accommodate up to 2,500 people. It also offers flexible functionality to accommodate a variety of events, including standing receptions and exhibitions.

Miyazaki: What is the center’s utilization rate?
Masuda: The center has a high utilization rate. Because it serves a wide range of uses, from full-facility rentals for international conferences and academic meetings to individual meeting room bookings, it is difficult to give a single overall figure. However, the Main Hall’s annual utilization rate is about 80%, and there are very few days when it is not used at all.

Miyazaki: It is clearly a highly sought-after venue. Could you also explain the relationship between the center’s owner and operator?
Masuda: The center is owned by the City of Sapporo. Its management and operation are entrusted to the SORA-SCC Joint Venture, with Convention Linkage, Inc. serving as the representative organization. The joint venture has been responsible for managing and operating the center since 2010, marking 2026 its 17th year of operation.

Miyazaki: Who initially proposed pursuing LEED certification—the building owner or the operator?
Masuda: Prior to pursuing LEED certification, the center had already obtained GBAC STAR certification, an international certification for infection prevention and control administered by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council. Given that the City of Sapporo had also obtained LEED for Cities certification, the city approached us about pursuing LEED certification for the center.

In response to this proposal, we considered whether certification would be feasible and decided to pursue LEED certification. While many convention facilities in Europe and North America have obtained LEED certification, there were still no convention facilities in Japan that had obtained LEED certification at the time. We therefore saw an opportunity to strengthen the center’s brand and reputation. We also hoped to attract more international conferences to Sapporo and expected that LEED certification would provide the center with a distinctive advantage over convention facilities in other cities.

Miyazaki: Given the limited number of LEED-certified projects in Japan that can be described as “the first” of their kind, I believe that achieving LEED O+M Gold certification as the first existing MICE facility in Japan is a particularly meaningful achievement.
Masuda: We decided to pursue LEED certification in 2023, approximately three years ago. Shortly afterward, we were planning a major renovation that included the complete replacement of the HVAC systems. We therefore incorporated the LEED prerequisites into the renovation work and, after collecting one year of operational performance data following completion of the renovation, submitted the project for LEED certification.

Miyazaki: What modifications were required to achieve LEED certification?
Masuda: Under Japan’s Building Standards Act, outdoor air supply is not required in certain corridors and small rooms. However, some of these areas did not meet the supply airflow required by LEED. We therefore modified the system to increase the supply airflow by branching off from nearby supply air ducts.
Separately from the LEED certification process, we introduced additional measures to improve energy efficiency. The installation of solar power generation equipment and the conversion of lighting to LEDs had already been completed. We subsequently installed solar-control window film and improved the efficiency of the HVAC equipment, among other measures.

Miyazaki: What were some of the most challenging aspects of pursuing LEED certification?
Masuda: One of the major challenges was the requirement to comply with ASHRAE standards. We reviewed each requirement individually throughout the certification process. I believe another challenge was specific to the nature of a convention center. The center accommodates a wide variety of uses, and the number of visitors can vary significantly from day to day. HVAC operations also differ depending on how the spaces are being used, resulting in substantial fluctuations in energy consumption.
To determine whether the center met the “Minimum Energy Performance” prerequisite, it was necessary to calculate the annual number of visitors while taking their length of stay into account, and then assess the building’s energy performance based on its annual energy consumption. This presented a significant challenge. After completing the annual calculations, it was a great relief to confirm that the center’s energy performance met the “Minimum Energy Performance” requirement.

Miyazaki: Smoking rooms can be a challenge for many Japanese projects pursuing LEED certification. Was this an issue for the center?
Masuda: Smoking was not an issue for the center, as the entire facility had already been designated as smoke-free, and there were no smoking rooms on the premises.

Miyazaki: Did you use Arc to achieve LEED O+M Gold certification?
Masuda: Yes. We began using Arc specifically for the LEED certification process.

Miyazaki: Has obtaining LEED certification been beneficial to the center?
Masuda: The Sapporo Convention Center was established with the purpose of “providing a venue for hosting outstanding conventions from Japan and abroad,” as stated in the Sapporo Convention Center Ordinance. Recently, we have received an increasing number of inquiries from event organizers, particularly international organizations, about the center’s sustainability initiatives. It has been less than a year since we obtained the certification, so we have not yet secured any conference specifically because of our LEED certification. However, as the Sapporo Convention Center is currently the only convention center in Japan to have achieved LEED certification, we would like to highlight this as a key selling point when attracting future conferences.
Furthermore, achieving LEED certification provided us with an opportunity to give a special lecture at the 63rd National Heat Transfer Symposium, held at the Sapporo Convention Center from May 26 to 28. During the lecture, we introduced our efforts leading up to the achievement of LEED certification, along with specific examples of environmentally responsible facility management. This provided an opportunity to showcase the Sapporo Convention Center’s advanced sustainable MICE initiatives to a wider audience.

Miyazaki: Are there any other facilities operated by your company that are currently considering pursuing LEED certification?
Masuda: Not at this time. However, in some cases, we have proposed that local governments owning the facilities pursue LEED certification. We believe that LEED certification can help strengthen the brand of convention facilities as venues that can attract international conferences.

Miyazaki: It seems that the Sapporo Convention Center has also implemented a range of sustainable initiatives beyond obtaining LEED certification.
Masuda: The rooftop solar power system generates approximately 10% of the center’s annual electricity consumption on site. For the remaining approximately 90%, the center participates in a local energy production and consumption initiative jointly promoted by the cities of Sapporo and Wakkanai. Under this initiative, electricity derived 100% from renewable energy is supplied, generated by a mega-solar power plant in Wakkanai City and a hydroelectric power plant in Sapporo City. As a result, the center has effectively achieved net-zero annual CO₂ emissions from its electricity use.

Miyazaki: It seems that the City of Sapporo is also taking a leading approach to sustainability.
Masuda: The City of Sapporo declared itself an “Environmental City, Sapporo” in 2008 and has since been actively promoting sustainable urban development. The city also places a strong emphasis on attracting MICE events, including international conferences. It has established the “Guidelines for Hosting Sustainable MICE Events” and is promoting sustainable MICE across the city. The Sapporo Convention Center operates in accordance with these guidelines, and we believe we can also promote this venue as a facility capable of hosting sustainable MICE events with zero CO₂ emissions from the venue. Going forward, we aim to continue working closely with the City of Sapporo to advance competitive and sustainable MICE operations.

Miyazaki: Thank you for sharing such valuable insights with us today. It was very valuable to learn how the Sapporo Convention Center and the City of Sapporo are advancing their pioneering sustainability initiatives, and how they are leveraging LEED certification and sustainable MICE operations to attract conventions and events to the city.

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