Biography: Dr. Taro Hongo is an Associate in the Global Business Development Group, Global Business Department at Nikken Sekkei. He joined the firm in 2007 after completing his master’s degree at Waseda University, where he specialized in machine and facility design. His work focuses on creating buildings that are enjoyable to experience, practical to use, and widely appreciated. He has managed a range of architectural and renovation projects, including the bicycle parking facility at Oshiage Station, the Bank of Chengdu Main Office, the Ebisu Subaru Building, the Sumitomo Corporation next-generation office, and the YKK80 Building, as well as facility renovations for the National Museum of Western Art and the Chubu Electric Power Chiyoda Building. He also continues to explore innovative approaches to greening air-conditioning condenser units using sweet potatoes.
Speech title: Mitigating Urban Heat Islands with Greenery: Energy-Saving Technology and Applications of Sweet Potato Greening for Rooftop Air-Conditioning Units