Marine building startup N-ARK | Nark launches

N-ARK Website

https://www.n-ark.jp

▼Press Release Download
https://prtimes.jp/a/?f=d88405-20211029-6060a4e62134ef13628d247dbc09ab23.pdf

In Japan, flood damage has intensified in recent years Reiwa and in 1919, typhoons and torrential rains damaged about 2.15 trillion yen, and the flooded area became about 800 million square meters. Not only typhoons and heavy rains every year but also sea levels are rising, and by 2030, the risk of major submersion is predicted around Tokyo Bay, Osaka Bay, and Ise Bay. N-ARK prototypes “marine architecture” by combining various elemental technologies with methods of utilization and defense against “salt” that modern architecture has not been working on. As the first step, we will promote the prototype of the marine farm “Green Ocean” “Green Ocean” in 2022, which combines seawater farming technology that can cultivate seawater as| a direct nutrient source with floating building technology that creates a recycling-type environment that establishes seawater agriculture. N-ARK is a concept that can be diverted to various uses by n times the ARK (ARK). Starting from the Green Ocean, we will work to realize “maritime real estate” that can be applied from coastal regional development that restores the underwater environment by n times to accepting more than 205 million climate refugees by 2050.

[Social Issues]

1. Sea level rise and flood damage
In 2018 and 2019, Japan’s flood damage amounted to about 2.15 trillion yen, at about 1,405 billion yen nationwide, the largest amount of damage caused by floods other than tsunamis for the second consecutive year since statistics began[ 1]. Natural disasters of this magnitude are occurring around the world, and the world’s population affected by rising sea levels is projected to rise to 280 million by the end of this century[2]. Damage caused by typhoons, floods, and salt damage will also become more serious in coastal urban areas.
 

Quote 1: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries |Reiwa Recovery and Reconstruction from The First Year Disaster
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/wpaper/w_maff/r1/r1_h/trend/part1/chap5/c5_1_00.html

Quote 2: AFP news agency | ‘submerged refugees’ due to warming to 280 million
https://www.afpbb.com/articles/-/3246019

2. Impact in Tokyo
It was found that as many as 6 million people across Japan may be affected by flooding and flooding if Co2 reduction measures are not progressing in 2030. In Tokyo, about 835,000 people (9% of the population of the 23 wards) are affected by flooding and flooding due to extreme sea level rise caused by storm surges caused by typhoons, and the scale of damage in GDP will rise to about 7.5 trillion yen [3].

C.3: Economic Impact Forecast of Extreme Sea Level Rise in Seven Asian Cities in 2030
https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-japan-stateless/2021/09/928f1ca2-20210624_final_report_sealevelrise_jpn.pdf

Reference 1: Current Situation and Issues of Coastal Conditions – Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
https://www.mlit.go.jp/river/shinngikai_blog/kaigan_hozen/01/pdf/s02-2.pdf

3.Farmland disasters caused by natural disasters
In 2018 and 2019, Japan’s flood damage amounted to about 2,150 billion yen, at about 1,405 billion yen nationwide, the largest amount of damage caused by floods other than tsunamis for the second consecutive year since statistics began. Among the amounts of damage in 2019, the amount of damage caused by farmland is 344.6 billion yen(15% of 2,150 billion yen). In recent years (2010-2019), the total amount has been 5,410.2 billion yen[4] (average annual damage of 541 billion yen, average damage per year, 81.15 billion yen per year in terms of farmland damage 15%), and it is expected to continue to increase in the future.

Quote 4:   Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | damage related to agriculture, forestry and fisheries in the past 10 years
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/wpaper/w_maff/r1/r1_h/trend/part1/chap5/c5_1_00.html

[Vision]
Reinventing architecture by the ocean.
Reinventing architecture from the sea

N-ARK| Nark is an architec startup that reinvents architecture from the ocean and tackles climate change.
In the midst of threats to life on the ground during the climate change era, we will research and develop Arktecture (Ark+Technology+Culture), which combines architecture adapted to the sea and salt resistance technology that were the weakest in modern architecture, and tackle sea level rise and flood damage damage problems.

[First step is offshore farm]
In partnership with FOURIVERA | Cartivera Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Kunigami-gun, Okinawa Prefecture, Representative Director: Shohei Toyonaga), N-ARK will conduct a first-step demonstration experiment to construct a prototype of the Green Ocean | Green Ocean, a marine farm that combines seawater farming technology that can cultivate seawater as a nutrient source with salt-resistant architecture that realizes a nurturing environment.
 

Green Ocean | Salt Resistant Building Technology
Floating the green ocean along the coast creates two greens in the upper and lower spaces of the sea. Greens are created by farms that use salt-based agricultural technology to produce food at sea. The other is green for the purpose of improving the underwater environment by cultivating algae under sea level. The building material will be thinned wood, and the wood joint will adopt a carbon joint considering salt resistance. For floating body equipment, it is assumed that buoyancy by special coating film will increase. The characteristic roof shape is to efficiently capture rainwater. By mixing rainwater and seawater, ph adjustment and rare rate adjustment are performed, and it becomes fertilizer of salty agriculture. The indoor temperature uses cold seawater with stable temperatures, and by using it as air conditioning in the farm, green ocean has a role like “earth bandage”.

Green Ocean | Seawater Agricultural Technology
Cartivera, a partner startup that researches and develops seawater farming technology, is also cultivated, sold and operated by Pomona Farm, an agricultural corporation that has expanded to 10,000 m2 in Mie Prefecture. The basic technology is “Moisture Culture”, a technology cultivated by humidity management. With a technology that reproduces about 15 cm on the surface layer of natural soil with special fibers of about 5 mm, water is vaporized with special fibers, and by growing plants under moisture depletion stress, vegetables with enhanced sugar content and vitamins can be cultivated. The water used in moisture culture is only one-tenth of conventional irrigation farming methods, and it is a cultivation technique that can be applied even in lands where water is not rich.
https://pomonafarm.jp/

Seawater farming is a special cultivation that can absorb moisture and nutrients in the ground and in the air by mixing alkaline seawater and acidic rainwater to neutralize and cultivate various types of roots according to the variety. As a result, it grows into a functional vegetable that can utilize the minerals and nutrients contained in seawater. * Joint patent application is planned.

Improvement of underwater environment
Basic production of phytoplankton and seaweed by photosynthesis circulates ecosystems in shallow seas (tidal flats, beaches, beaches), but this basic production has decreased due to environmental deterioration, and it has also affected fisheries. We will grow algae under the surface of the green ocean and improve the underwater environment. ※Conception stage

[Why a maritime farm? ]
Precipitation and floods have increased 1.7 times in the past 40 years. If the scale of disasters will increase by 1.7 times over the next 10 years, when climate change will accelerate, the amount of damage will be 9,197.3 billion yen (average 919.7 billion yen per year) in 10 years. If we allocate 9,197.3 billion yen to 15% of the damage caused by agriculture, forestry, and flood damage in the first year of the year%を割り当てると、今後10年での被害額は推定1兆3,796億円となります。N-ARKはこの内15% promote its business with a disaster mitigation target of 206.5 billion yen | 486.45 km2, which is 15% of the damage[5].

Source 5: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | Damage related to agriculture, forestry and fisheries over the past 10 years
https://www.maff.go.jp/j/wpaper/w_maff/r1/r1_h/trend/part1/chap5/c5_1_00.html

Calculation basis
TAM：
Damage related to agriculture, forestry and fisheries from 2010 to 2019 [※1]: 5,410.2 billion yen [2] 2020-2029 agriculture, forestry and fisheries-related damage forecast: 5,410.2 billion yen × Disaster forecast for the next 10 years 1.7 times = 9,197.3 billion yen [※2]
SAM：
344.6 billion yen (15% of the total amount of damage caused by farmland) in 2019[2020-2029] Estimated damage related to agriculture, forestry and fisheries: 9,197.3 billion yen × Farmland damage ratio: 15% = Agriculture, forestry and fisheries damage: 1,379.6 billion yen Total area of farmland damage over 10 years: 1908.71 km2 × Disaster forecast in the next 10 years: 1.7 times = 3,243 km2
SOM：
Mitigation target amount: 1,379.6 billion yen × 15% (target figure) = 206.5 billion yen
Mitigation target area: 3,243km2 × 15% = 486.45km2

*1: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries | Damage related to agriculture, forestry and fisheries in the past 10 years ※2: Annual incidence of 80mm or more of precipitation per hour | the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries *3: Damage related to agriculture, forestry and fisheries due|Reiwa to major natural disasters in 2019

[Partner Company]
Carti Bella
An agritech R&D company of Toyonaga Shohei, which operates Pomona Farm, a 10,000-square-member-m2 agricultural corporation in Taki Town, Mie Prefecture. He is in charge of seawater farming technology and crop type development.
https://www.oist.jp/ja/news-center/news/2021/3/23/36042

Shohei Toyonaga
Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1989. He was involved in archaeological research activities in Cambodia and the preservation of landscape and culture at Waseda University. At that time, we will question the environmental destruction that occurs around the cultural heritage seen in Asian countries and the concentration of young people in the city due to the lack of industry, and explore the possibility of agricultural industry that is compatible with environmental conservation in order to create a regional infrastructure industry. Established Fourivera LLC in 2016. While researching and developing various agricultural technologies using the proprietary proprietary Moisculture as a platform, he himself operates the agricultural corporation PommonaFarm in Taki-cho, Mie Prefecture.

Member
Arijo Tasaki, Representative Director and General Producer, |
When working at the visual design studio WOW, he was in charge of architectural projects such as public facilities and art pavilions. Established KANDO Co., Ltd. in 2018. At the same time, as a realtech fund member, he provides comprehensive hands-on support while running alongside many tech ventures.
http://kando.vision/
https://www.realtech.holdings/

Masaya Shioura| In charge of Architectural Design Technology Development
After engaging in design work at Tokyo Skytree Town and other institutions at Hidaken Sakukei, in 2013, he launched a cross-disciplinary design team NAD with the concept of “people’s activities in space opens up society” and created innovation projects. Started “Scape” in 2018.
https://renoveru.co.jp/blog/3958/

Akira Kinoshita, Director| / Public Relations
During his 11 years at Recruit, he has experience in sales, 0→1 (new business development) and 1→100 (business development). In addition, he is in charge of venture business strategy support and product development outside the company. Started MONOLITH in 2016. He provides business development consulting for multiple companies.
https://www.mnlth.jp/

In charge of Material Development | Sorago Nagata
After working at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (part-time) and a design and production office, he established TIMELESS. He is engaged in a wide range of branding and business development from traditional crafts to advanced technology in various parts of Japan. He co-presides over the “Tate Business Meeting”, where creators from all over Japan gather, and serves as the co-founder of Designart, one of Asia’s leading design events.
https://nagataokisato.themedia.jp/

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https://www.n-ark.jp/about/#contact