Japan Kukan Design Award KUKAN OF THE YEAR 2022 announced

Japan Kukan Design Association
Japan Kukan Design Award KUKAN OF THE YEAR 2022 announced
3 works: “route to root – retracing the story of down. -”

[Image 1
DSA (Japan Space Design Association, Chairman: Echiyo Suzuki, Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo) and JCD (Japan Commercial Environmental Design Association, President: Shigeru Kubota, Location: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo) jointly The sponsored Japan Space Design Award selected a total of 36 works of gold, silver and bronze awards at the third and final judging on August 27, and from among the 11 works selected for the gold award, “route to root – retracing The story of down.-”, “Slow Slow Poetry” and “Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center” have been selected for this year’s Grand Prix “KUKAN OF THE YEAR 2022”. The award ceremony was held at the Tokyo Design Center (Gotanda, Tokyo) on October 21 (to prevent the spread of corona infection, visitors were limited to the winners and related parties). was presented with a trophy and a certificate of merit. At the ceremony, judge Astrid Klein (Klein Dytham Architects, architect) commented on the heightened awareness of well-being and the importance of people’s space due to the long corona crisis. A talk session was held by the three award winners and the moderator (Naoki Iijima, Director of JCD).
[Image 2
Comments: Mr. Astrid Klein
[Image 3
talk session
Japan Kukan Design Award 2022 KUKAN OF THE YEAR / Nihon Keizai Shimbun Award 2022
[Image 4
route to root – retracing the story of down.
Title: route to root – retracing the story of down.
Winner: TAKT PROJECT Satoshi Yoshiizumi
[Image 5
slow slow poetry
Title: Slow Slow Poetry
Recipient: Kyota Takahashi Co., Ltd. Kyota Takahashi
[Image 6
Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center
Title: Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center
Winner: Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Architects Hiroshi Nakamura
reference:
・ Judges’ selection and comment: Partial excerpt from “Yearbook Japanese Spatial Design 2023” (published by Rokuyosha, scheduled to be released in December 2022)
route to root – retracing the story of down. – : Masahiro Kamijo (“AXIS” Editor in Chief)
With the use of IoT, it is now easy to take logs and check
traceability from the production stage to the final distribution. The essential sustainable process is brilliantly visualized in a fantastical installation.
A series of high-density exhibits expresses the process from down jackets to goose ducks that bring nature’s blessings in a single “route”. In a dimly lit room, you will be guided by a loose wire made by connecting small down balls, and relive the recycling and eco-friendly processing efforts related to down. The scene that shows the path of down is also equipped with interactivity that responds to slight movements of people. Conveying the production background of down is also conveying to viewers the problems faced by down clothing. The work, which reacts to people’s movements, seems to be intended to “change the relationship between people and down” by disseminating correct knowledge.
The exhibition not only traces the transition of processes and information like a textbook, but also opens the eyes of the viewer to a new world. It was perfect for the impression that it was a trip that follows. The attractiveness of the spatial composition, which makes you feel like you’ve set out on a journey to an unknown land, must have made you feel even more passionate about down.
Slow Slow Slow Poetry: Masamichi Toyama (President and CEO, Smiles Co., Ltd.) The Japan Kukan Design Award is an award given by JCD and DSA for spatial design. However, I feel that this work has become an award that we “get” awareness. i.e.
・ There is no physical space to be designed
・ Space is established by letters or literature
・ There is no specific designer, but rather only human elements ・ If there is a cost-effectiveness index, it will be the top among all the entries.
・ It cannot be awarded by the Architectural Institute of Japan Award “Make Friends No Art” was advocated at Documenta15, which is held once every five years. A flat connection between each person, not an authority. Even at the world’s largest festival of Western art, such as Class Incarnation, there is a mood of decentralization that will spread to other fields.
When I talk to young people these days, I get the feeling that behind their desire for stability is a default social mindset, and even aversion to macho commercialism. Rather than the rich space
commissioned by a famous designer by a big client with funds, we are interested in the happiness of each person’s feet, the earth, the whole, and the state of our neighbors, and how we can be involved in it. seems to be asking
Such young people will soon make up the majority of both the sei-katsu-sha who form the market and the people who create it. What kind of “spatial design” will JCD and DSA aim for in 2022, and in the future? “Soi osoi osoi poetry” illuminates a line that surely leads from the present step to the future through the connection and execution of each person. Thank you.
Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center: Rie Higashi (Representative of Higashi Environment and Architecture Research Institute, Architect)
During the period of economic growth, people tended to focus on economic efficiency, efficiency, and convenience, and urbanization seemed like the ideal of development, and people concentrated in cities. However, at the end of the 20th century, the pace of growth in the Japanese economy slowed down significantly, while the population of Japan declined at an accelerated pace. In the 21st century, a sense of blockage and stagnation is prevalent in society as a whole. Under these circumstances, the town of Kamikatsu, which was a rural town and village, made a decision to achieve zero waste, that is, not to produce garbage. Whether it is prosperity for rural towns, or what is the goal, they chose a method that cities cannot do, and changed the direction greatly. This activity will lead to the Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center. Until now, garbage collection and disposal sites, which had been hated until now, create new value, and villagers carry them in, separate them by themselves, and process them, creating connections between people in the process. The small scale of the community makes it possible to realize initiatives that have never existed before. When designing this initiative, the architect understood what was happening here, and while valuing the scale of the hardware that suited this purpose, the space under the roof and the courtyard surrounded by it made it a comfortable place to be. It creates the richness of the space you cherish. In addition, by skillfully incorporating materials such as fittings brought by the townspeople into the architectural space, the building became familiar to the residents, and it became an excellent architecture suitable for today’s spatialization of the program. The Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center suggests a possible new direction for local communities.
・Comment from the winner:
route to root – retracing the story of down. -：TAKT PROJECT Satoshi Yoshiizumi [Image 7
Thank you very much for choosing us for KUKAN OF THE YEAR.
It is a small exhibition of less than 200 square meters, and it is an exhibition about the “down material” that is the content of the down jacket, which has not received much attention until now. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the judges.
We live in an era where it is easy to obtain information through a screen, but I think that is why it is more meaningful to communicate with the five senses through space. I would like to create more such experiences in the future.
Slow Slow Slow Poetry: Kyota Takahashi Co., Ltd. Kyota Takahashi [Image 8
I am extremely happy and honored to receive such an unexpected award! At the same time, I have a deep respect and awe for the “depth of mind” of the Kukan Design Award. “Colorful”, “curious”, “surprise” may seem like that. A little bit of anxiety passed through my head when I entered. However, it is the result of their sincere consideration of “What can art and poetry do in the midst of the corona crisis?” with a limited budget. I applied because I wanted to convey that message to more people. This work was planned during the corona misfortune, but it was postponed many times and even the opening was in doubt. However, in the midst of daily life where there is only a sense of blockage, we wanted the people who come and go from here to cheer up and feel that they are looking forward to tomorrow. I’m not a spatial designer, but as someone who is involved in public spaces, I would like to continue creating works that make many people aware of something. Encouraged by the joy of this wonderful award, I will do my best tomorrow! Thank you very much.
Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center: Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Architects Hiroshi Nakamura [Image 9
I am honored to receive such a prestigious award. Located in Kamikatsu Town, Tokushima Prefecture, the Zero Waste Center is an eco-friendly facility that combines 45 types of garbage sorting sites, a recycle shop, a hotel, and an exchange hall. A building composed of not only the garbage collected at the center but also the garbage that was collected from public solicitation for the shortfall will go beyond the value of garbage as a resource and will become an accumulation of memories of the people of the town. Encouraged by this award, we would like to further accelerate spatial practice for a sustainable society. In addition, you can see the award-winning works of 2022 and an introduction to the sponsoring organization on the official website of the Japan Kukan Design Award. In the future, we plan to post additional information such as interviews with the winners and online seminars.
Japan Kukan Design Award: https://kukan.design
About the KUKAN DESIGN AWARD:
Born in 2019, it is the only and largest spatial design award in Japan. The purpose of the competition is to discover and evaluate excellent designers from Japan and overseas, as well as outstanding design works. We will transmit wonderful designs from Japan to the world and convey the “power of space design” to many people. Release material:
・This release
・Data 1: 2022 KUKAN OF THE YEAR 3 works 3 images
Title: route to root – retracing the story of down.
Winner: TAKT PROJECT Satoshi Yoshiizumi
Photo credit: Daisuke Ohki
Title: Slow Slow Poetry
Recipient: Kyota Takahashi Co., Ltd. Kyota Takahashi
Photo credit: Yuta Geshi
Title: Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center
Winner: Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP Architects Hiroshi Nakamura
Photo credit: Koji Fujii (TOREAL)
*When posting the above three works, please be sure to post all three works, not just one.
・ Data 2: 6 snap images of the award ceremony venue
Award ceremony venue snap photo credit: HIROSHI TSUCHIDA