Uds Ltd. Is Honored with the Silver A' Design Award for Komazawa Daigaku Station in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

Uds Ltd. acknowledged for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 18, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Komazawa Daigaku Station by Uds Ltd. has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined 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 Silver A' Design Award

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

More About Komazawa Daigaku Station

Komazawa Daigaku is a renewed railway station located under Komazawa Park in Setagaya, Tokyo. The Under the Park concept treats the underground concourse as roots and the exit buildings as symbolic trees. Station components are grouped by three timescales: permanent earthworks, aging trees and renewing leaves. Existing tiles and terrazzo floors were preserved to reduce waste, and domestic timber was used. A metallic ceiling coating creates a dappled light effect. Benches and counters invite people to rest and to meet.

About Uds Ltd.

UDS is a design firm dedicated to creating sustainable, fun and lively urban spaces by pursuing an optimum balance of social responsibility and business profitability. We are a one-stop provider of business planning, architectural design, and commercial operation services, all under one roof. Whatever the use or function, every space we create is truly unique to the community it serves, and we achieve it by integrating all aspects of the physical environment.

Award Record

This recognition makes Uds Ltd. a winner of 12 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' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award

The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Typical entries include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. The awarded architectural projects are published at https://designers.org/design-category/architecture

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/173965
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/173965
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!173965
Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/301823
Further Information from the Laureate: https://ii.tokyu.co.jp/grows/gug

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: Komazawa Daigaku Station
Function: Station
Category: Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Discipline: Spatial Design
Industry: Architecture
Colors: Sky Blue, Dark Slate Gray, Dim Gray, Black and Light Slate Gray
Images: 5

The Recognition

Laureate: Uds Ltd.
Country: Japan
Recognition: Silver A' Design Award
Edition: 2025 - 2026
Design ID: #173965

Credits

Team: Keiichi Ito, Yayoi Sato, Seshiro Honda and Yutaro Sakurai
Image Credits: TOKYU CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD., 2025 Optional; Photographer Shinsui Ohara, 2025 Optional; Photographer Shinsui Ohara, 2025

Design Details

Unique Properties: This project's uniqueness is its "Under the Park" concept, which creates a consistent narrative for the entire space: the underground concourse is envisioned as the town's "roots," and the buildings as "symbolic trees." Furthermore, a unique design methodology redefines the station via three timescales: "permanent earthworks," "aging Trees," and "renewing leaves." This presents a new vision for an adaptable station designed to be loved long-term.
Inspiration: The primary source of inspiration for this project is its very location: "under Komazawa Park." We were strongly motivated by the desire to transform the aging, inorganic underground space—a place people have used daily for over 45 years—into a more comfortable and cherished environment. Therefore, we placed the "park," a quintessential landscape shared by all local residents, at the core of our concept. We envisioned that just as the trees in the park extend their roots underground to support their lush forms above, the station could also become like a living organism—absorbing, nurturing, and radiating the town's vitality.
Research: This practical research aimed to translate the given "Under the Park" concept into a sustainable space, creating new value for aging infrastructure. Our methodology was to develop the "Earthworks, Trees, and Leaves" model, which classifies station components by three timescales. Based on this model, we selected materials and composed the space, prototyping advanced timber technology in one building. The expected social impact is increased user dwell time, fostering affection for the station.
Challenge: Our greatest challenge was maintaining the consistency of the "Under the Park" concept across a four-year project with diverse work areas and many stakeholders. Amidst fragmented on-site decisions, our "Earthworks, Trees, and Leaves" design guideline served as the core guiding principle to return to. Additionally, realizing a timber station building in a fire protection district was a major external challenge, requiring us to overcome strict legal regulations and technical constraints.
Realization and Technology: This project’s realization is driven by sustainability. We minimized waste by preserving existing tiles and terrazzo floors, while using domestic timber for its warmth and environmental benefits. The West Exit building, in a fire protection district, pioneers advanced timber tech like LVL fire-resistant coating and a two-way rigid-frame structure (rare in Japan). A special metallic ceiling coating creates a unique komorebi (dappled sunlight) effect.
Operation and Interaction: Visitors are guided by the "Symbolic Tree"-like station buildings into the "Under the Park" world. Descending warm, trunk-like staircases, a space unfolds resembling the roots of a park, seemingly bathed in dappled sunlight. This functions not merely as a path to the trains, but as a "garden" for people to spend time as they wish. Intentionally placed benches and counters invite users to linger, meet or rest, generating a new, personal interaction with the station itself.
Project Duration and Location: This project was implemented at Komazawa-daigaku Station in Setagaya, Tokyo, as the first phase of the "Green Under Ground" renewal project by Tokyu Railways Co., Ltd. The schematic design phase began in August 2020, and the overall construction period for the station runs from July 2020 to March 2025. Completion is on April 1, 2025.
Specifications: Total Floor Area: Underground Station Concourse: Approx. 6,500 sqm (RC structure, 2 floors below ground) East Exit Building: 564.34 sqm (RC structure, 4 stories above ground) West Exit Building 1: 398.58 sqm (Steel structure, 2 stories above ground) West Exit Building 2: 346.80 sqm (Timber and partial RC structure, 4 stories above ground, 2 floors below ground)
Keywords: Renovation, Station, Sustainability, Timber, AdaptiveReuse, Narrative, PublicSpace, Biophilic, Placemaking, Tokyo