Press Release
Shinjiro Heshiki Is Honored with the Bronze A' Design Award for Urban Banyan Bakery Cafe in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Shinjiro Heshiki honored for interior space and exhibition design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 28, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Urban Banyan Bakery Cafe by Shinjiro Heshiki, designed for Runva Company Inc., has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Bronze A' Design Award
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
Regarding Urban Banyan Bakery Cafe
Urban Banyan is the interior design of a bakery cafe in Naha City, Okinawa. The space centres on a sculptural banyan tree measuring 6000 mm wide and 3600 mm high. The sculpture combines lath boards, mortar and artistic plaster, while lightweight 3D-printed resin forms the branches and meets fire safety rules. Exterior signage was not permitted, so the 14.5 metre glass front carries 3 mm acrylic panels printed with semi-transparent leaves. Backlighting turns the storefront into a warm lantern at night.
About Shinjiro Heshiki
He was born in Okinawa Prefecture. After graduating from high school, he moved to Tokyo and entered a design school. After graduation, he worked at a shop design office, where he designed restaurants, retail stores, apparel stores, and houses. He moved to Los Angeles LA USA in 1991. While living in the U.S., he worked as a bartender and club manager, while working in design for a living. This background in restaurants seems to have enhanced his design communication. And returned to Japan in 2001, Then he started his own company, emergene, inc.
Award Record
This recognition makes Shinjiro Heshiki a winner of 7 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2020 - 2021 and the 2025 - 2026 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award
The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Typical entries include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. The awarded interior designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/interior
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/173354
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/173354
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!173354
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/292694
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://x.gd/WkCKS
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Urban Banyan Bakery Cafe
- Function
- Bakery Cafe
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Black, Maroon, Dark Olive Green and Saddle Brown
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Runva Company Inc.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Shinjiro Heshiki
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #173354
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photographer: Masahiro Ishibashi
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Centered around a sculptural Banyan tree, this interior blends art and architecture to provide emotional comfort. Embracing the aesthetic of light and shadow, it creates a serene atmosphere. Overcoming strict exterior signage bans, the glass storefront functions as a City Lantern. Semi-transparent leaf prints on acrylic project a warm, organic glow onto the street at night, serving as an architectural beacon without violating building codes.
- Inspiration
- In the concrete jungle of Naha City, this design reintroduces the primal comfort of nature. Inspired by the Okinawan Banyan tree (Gajumaru), revered in folklore as the abode of spirits, the space serves as a modern sanctuary. The concept visualizes the invisible 'Life Force' of the island. By integrating the organic forms of the Banyan with the play of light and shadow, the design transforms a commercial space into a spiritual shelter, offering a moment of primitive healing amidst urban hustle.
- Research
- Research focused on material innovation to balance art with strict fire safety. We developed a lightweight structure integrating 3D-printed resin components and noncombustible mortar. We also explored reversible attachment mechanisms for the long-span acrylic window panels. This demonstrates a sustainable approach to large-scale indoor art installations, merging traditional crafts with digital fabrication.
- Challenge
- Due to tenant restrictions, no exterior signage was permitted. To overcome this limitation, the design reimagined the entire window surface as a glowing lantern visible from the street, creating both a signature presence and cost efficiency without breaching the building facade rules.
- Realization and Technology
- To meet fire codes, the banyan sculpture uses a hybrid of lath boards, mortar, and artistic plaster. Complex branches integrate lightweight 3D-printed resin to reduce load. The 14.5m window features 3mm acrylic panels with semi-transparent leaf prints. Backlit for a lantern effect, it leverages western exposure, creating a dramatic interplay between the interior and twilight.
- Operation and Interaction
- Guests enter beneath the symbolic canopy of the banyan tree and are naturally guided toward seating areas that embrace the soft western light. The filtered illumination through the acrylic leaf screens shifts subtly throughout the day, providing visitors with a tangible sense of passing time. This visual and spatial rhythm intentionally encourages people to slow their pace, breathe deeply, and experience emotional serenity while enjoying their coffee and bread.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in Nov 2024 in Naha City, Okinawa and finished in March 2025
- Specifications
- Banyan Tree Artwork: 6000 mm (W) x 3600 mm (H). Acrylic Print Panels: 14500 mm (W) x 1200 mm (H).
- Keywords
- bakery cafe, spatial design, banyan tree, organic interior, lantern facade, light and shadow, digital fabrication, mortar craft, japanese design, okinawa
