Resilient building base isolation in Yokohama

Yokohama lies around 30 kilometres southwest of Tokyo and is the second largest city in Japan. Its Kitanaka-dori Kita district will be the future home of a 42-storey high-rise with two additional basement floors, which is currently under construction in the city centre and waterfront area. The project is part of Yokohama's urban renewal programme.

A luxury hotel from the Hilton Group will be moving in to the lower 16 floors, offering 272 rooms, upscale restaurants, leisure and recreation areas as well as space for banquets and conferences. The upper floors will house 224 exclusive rental apartments, each boasting over 100 square metres of living space and a fully glazed façade with a view of the Pacific Ocean and the Minato Mirai district.

The busy Minatomirai underground line runs underneath the building. To prevent noise and vibrations, the building structure was built from reinforced concrete and steel frames on Sylomer®. This ensures effective decoupling from the subsoil, guaranteeing stability, peace and quiet, and a high level of comfort.

Luxury hotel and residential building

The challenges

The original plans only envisioned counteracting the effects of the underground line by providing vibration isolation and noise insulation for part of the foundation. However, as a luxury hotel demands the highest standards of peace and comfort, the plans were revised and expanded. The building is located directly above the busy Minatomirai underground line, which meant special demands in counteracting the impacts of vibrations and noise. The project team opted for the solution from Getzner to overcome this challenge.

Modern building with a blue glass facade in Yokohama, Japan.

Sylomer®

The solution

To make the protective measures as effective as possible, the team of experts went with Sylomer®. Available in various overall heights and degrees of stiffness, this material was the best way to accommodate the construction and loads at the site. As a result, the desired suspension properties and required noise and vibration performance were implemented to perfection. The proven dynamic properties of Sylomer deliver reliable, efficient protection against vibrations and noise caused by the nearby underground railway line – for a noticeable improvement in the well-being of residents and guests alike.

Yokohama construction site: Construction workers working on foundation isolation in a pit.

The benefits

Highly effective protection against vibrations and noise
Custom solution protects the building structure
Safe, reliable protection for the load-bearing structure
Guaranteed performance for decades

Full-surface bearing for buildings

The application

The bearing follows a particularly simple design and is easy to installation. Sylomer® provides a reliable way of achieving low natural frequencies. The subsoil requires only minimal preparation and no adjustments to the existing building structure are needed.

Find out more

Sectional model of a building foundation with elastomer bearings for vibration isolation in civil engineering.

Sylomer impresses with its good vibration insulation, high load-bearing capacity and long-term durability.

Yoshinori Inoue Manager, AGK Acoustic Engineering Co, Ltd.

Construction workers pouring concrete onto a blue surface at a construction site for Getzner infrastructure projects.

Construction workers on a foundation with blue/red mats and steel beams for passive vibration isolation.

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Case Study

Case Study Yokohama EN

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Building base isolation

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