Tokyo College of Music | Business Case Study

Industry

School

Purpose of Implementation

Improved safety, Enhanced comfort, Reduced costs

Implemented product

Floor-standing Plasmacluster Air Purifier

FU-M1400×2 units

Floor-standing Plasmacluster Humidified Air Purifier

FU-M1400×2 units
KC-M50B×116 units
Installed sequentially through 2021 and 2022. A total of 120 air purifiers and humidified air purifiers (106 units for classrooms and lesson rooms, twelve units for the administrative offices and other areas, and two units for the faculty office) were installed at the Nakameguro-Daikanyama campus, and 76 humidified air purifiers were installed in classrooms and lesson rooms of the Ikebukuro campus. All are being used for air purification.
Dealer: Data Business Supply Co., Ltd.

Customer

Nakameguro-Daikanyama Campus

Tokyo College of Music

Meguro-ku and Toshima-ku, Tokyo
Japan's oldest private music college.TCM operates two campuses in Nakameguro-Daikanyama and Ikebukuro. It sends first-rate graduates to not only the music and education worlds but also private companies in Japan and abroad.

This is what we realized.

In instrumental performance classes, students who play wind instruments have no choice but to remove their masks to perform. However, the classrooms and lesson rooms where such classes are held are constructed to be highly airtight to enhance acoustics. This led us to think that installing air purifiers should be part of our thoroughgoing effort to prevent the spread of viruses.

Plasmacluster’s highly reliable performance provides peace of mind that faculty and students appreciate.
The wide variation of the Plasmacluster devices allowed us to achieve the optimum purification capacity for each room. It also kept installation costs down.
Daily maintenance requires nothing more than cleaning with a vacuum cleaner, making maintenance less troublesome.

Background of Implementation

Some musical performances are impossible while wearing a mask. Air purifiers were deemed essential for conducting in-person classes.

Although wearing masks is a primary means of combatting viral spread, it is sometimes necessary to remove masks in vocal and instrumental music classes. In addition, lesson rooms are soundproofed and highly airtight, and some rooms cannot be ventilated directly to the outside. Although we dealt with that by holding all classes remotely for a while, some classes require subtle instruction, and in such cases there is no substitute for face-to-face contact. That led us to think about installing air purifiers to continue providing safe music education in this era of the “new normal.”

Hideaki Sano
Section Chief
Facilities Section
Finance and Facilities Department
Tokyo College of Music

Reasons for Selection

Air purification capacity matched to room characteristics, ease of maintenance, and effectiveness against mold fungi and odors led to the decision to install.

We calculated the number of units to be installed based on each room's size and the air purification capacity required. We then looked at Sharp's extensive lineup of air purifiers for specific floor areas, which gave us more options than the air purifiers produced by other manufacturers, and selected the appropriate devices. This helped us keep installation costs down. Another factor in our decision to install Plasmacluster devices was their eectiveness against mold fungi and static electricity, which are the “natural enemies” of musical instruments, as well as the smell that lingers aer a performance by a large number of musicians.

FU-1400 (large type unit) installed in the spacious faculty office

Effect after implementation

Trusted Plasmacluster gives students peace of mind.
Easier daily maintenance also earns appreciation.

We installed FU-1400 (large type) units in the faculty office and KI-M850S or KC-M50B units in classrooms, lesson rooms, and administrative offices, depending on the room area. We can switch the airflow of a classroom's or lesson room's device to match the room''s purpose—for example, to accommodate the type of performance being held there or the type of instrument being played. This allows us to purify the air with a level of quietness that does not disturb classes, performances, and other activities. People trust Plasmacluster devices, so faculty and students—as well as parents visiting on open campus days—are pleased with the peace of mind they provide. We also appreciate the fact that daily maintenance requires only the replacement of disposable pre-filters and cleaning with a vacuum cleaner, not the frequent washing that takes so much time and effort. This makes maintenance less troublesome.

Easy maintenance by replacing the disposable pre-filter

Future prospects

Creating environments where people can devote themselves to music with peace of mind.

Having finished installing air purifiers in all lesson rooms and mediumsized and small classrooms, we now plan to study their installation in other remaining areas where purifiers are needed, such as large classrooms. We will continue to use Plasmacluster air purifiers to create environments where students and faculty can devote themselves to music education with peace of mind.

Switching airflow to operate with quietness that does not disturb performance classes