YN International School Struttura Educativa by Nobuaki Miyashita

YN International School Struttura Educativa by Nobuaki Miyashita is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award d'Argentu in Disignu d'Architettura Competition Category.

ArgentuArchitettura· 2026

YN International School Struttura Educativa

by Nobuaki Miyashita

Client: Jones Lang LaSalle K.K.

A' Design Award d'Argentu Winner in Architettura Category

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The Design

About YN International School Struttura Educativa

YN International School hè un campus di scola internaziunale pianificatu in Yokohama, in Giappone. U cuncettu interpreta i terrazzamenti di risu giappunesi cum'è un sistema spaziale per l'apprendimentu. Una massa à gradini s'alza da u nordu à u sudu per rispettà un cuntrollu strettu di l'ombra, mentre chì e terrazze di tettu piantate sò impilate cum'è paisaghji d'apprendimentu esterni quotidiani. Un lucernariu centrale è un atriu apertu portanu a luce naturale in prufundità in u pianu allungatu è aiutanu i studienti à mantene l'orientazione. E facciate in vetru di e classe rendenu l'apprendimentu visibile, sustenendu a curiosità è u scambiu interculturale. U situ copre circa 11.300 metri quadrati.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award d'Argentu

YN International School Struttura Educativa hè un vincitore di u premiu A' Design Award d'Argentu, una ricunniscenza straordinariamente prestigiosa attribuita à i disegni di alta gamma, splendidi è impressiunanti. I vincitori d'Argentu sò opere tremendamente brillanti è estremamente creative chì illustranu l'espertisa, u talentu è l'acutezza eccezziunali di i so disegnatori. Si aspetta chì YN International School Struttura Educativa sia una opera maravigliosa di mostra, rimarchevulemente prufessiunale è prufondamente innuvatrice. Stu disegnu vincitore di u premiu A' Design Award d'Argentu hè una invenzione assai nutevule è ammirata chì benefizia è allarga i limiti di l'arte, di a scienza, di u disegnu è di a tecnulugia. YN International School Struttura Educativa hè una creazione assai invidiata chì evoca disideri, introduce sentimenti pusitivi è accende stupore è maraviglia.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Planned international school campus in Yokohama, Kanagawa (design 2023-2025, unbuilt). A rice-terrace-inspired section steps upward from north to south to satisfy strict shadow control, while stacking green roof terraces as everyday learning landscapes. A central skylight and atrium bring daylight deep into the long plan, and transparent classroom fronts promote curiosity and cross-cultural interaction. Site approx. 11,300 sqm; total construction floor area approx. 29,000 sqm.
Dimensions & Packaging: Planned campus: B2F + 5F; building height approx. 19.5 m. Typical floor height 3.9 m (1F-5F); ceiling height 3.0 m (1F-5F, B1) and 4.0 m (B2); floor height 4.4 m (B1) and 6.1 m (B2). Total construction floor area approx. 29,000 sqm on a site approx. 11,300 sqm. Key devices: stepped massing for shadow control, green roof terraces, central skylight and atrium, transparent classroom fronts.
Tags: Architecture, International school, Educational facility, Rice terraces, Green roof terraces, Atrium, Skylight, Daylight, Shadow control, Japanese culture
Production Technology: Realized through section, not a decorative skin. Terraces and roofs are layered as planted open spaces, forming a continuous learning landscape. A large skylight spans the center of the elongated volume, and an open atrium increases daylight penetration and visual connection between floors. Classroom fronts use glass partitions to keep learning visible and inviting while maintaining controlled separation.
Design Challenge: Challenge: create an internationally open learning environment while conveying Japanese culture without turning tradition into decoration, and also satisfy strict shadow control. The solution turns compliance into identity: a rice-terrace-inspired mass steps upward from north to south and layers green roof terraces as everyday learning landscapes. Inside, a large skylight and atrium secure daylight and orientation, while transparent classroom fronts keep learning visible and interactive.
Research: Type: design research. Objective: translate rice-terrace heritage into an educational campus that meets strict shadow control while providing biophilic learning space. Method: iterative north-to-south sectional studies; stacking green roof terraces; daylight strategy using a central skylight and atrium across an elongated plan; transparency via glass classroom fronts. Tools/Data: compliance and daylight checks. Result: a campus where cultural identity is experienced as daily landscape and light, supported by bright shared interiors and accessible terraces.
Inspiration: Inspired by rice terraces, a Japanese landscape shaped by slope, water, and time. The campus translates this heritage into an urban school: overlapping green roof terraces form a daily outdoor learning terrain, while the stepped section rising north to south responds rationally to strict shadow control. The concept lets international students sense Japanese culture through routine movement, light, and landscape, not as decoration.
Project Duration: Location: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Design period: 2023-2025. Project status: unbuilt, construction not scheduled. The proposal forms a stepped, rice-terrace-like campus mass shaped by strict shadow control, with layered green roof terraces and a central skylight/atrium for daylight quality. Site approx. 11,300 sqm; total construction floor area approx. 29,000 sqm.
Operation Flow: The campus works as a vertical landscape. Students move along layered terraces and corridors around a central atrium, keeping orientation in the long plan. The skylight and atrium make shared spaces bright and legible, while green roof terraces support daily outdoor learning and rest. Glass-partitioned classrooms keep activities visible, encouraging curiosity, spontaneous encounters, and cross-cultural exchange.
Image Credits: Image #1: Nobuaki Miyashita (MR STUDIO Co.,Ltd.)
Image #2: Nobuaki Miyashita (MR STUDIO Co.,Ltd.)
Image #3: Nobuaki Miyashita (MR STUDIO Co.,Ltd.)
Image #4: Nobuaki Miyashita (MR STUDIO Co.,Ltd.)
Image #5: Nobuaki Miyashita (MR STUDIO Co.,Ltd.)