2023 ASHRAE TECHNOLOGY AWARDS 2023 ASHRAE TECHNOLOGY AWARDS FIRST PLACE CASE STUDY HONORABLE MENTION CASE STUDY HONORABLE MENTION ACHIEVING NET ZERO ENERGY BY MAXIMIZING NATURAL ENERGY BY HIROAKI TANAKA, PH.D., MEMBER ASHRAE; TAKAHIRO SATO, MEMBER ASHRAE M 60 izunami Kita Junior High School in Gifu Prefecture is the first school in Japan to achieve zero energy. Mizunami is both one of the hottest and coldest areas in Japan. To achieve zero energy in this school facility, various environmental design methods were applied with the requirement of maximizing the potential of the natural energy of the region. In conventional school construction, poor indoor air quality due to insufficient ventilation and uneven thermal and light environments have become important issues. This school was planned to achieve both a significant reduction of energy consumption and the realization of a healthy and comfortable learning environment. ASHRAE JOURNAL ashrae.org N OVEMBER 2 0 2 3http://www.ashrae.org