Press Release
Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada - Uds Ltd. Is Honored with the Golden A' Design Award for Grand Gate Hiroshima Restaurant in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada - Uds Ltd. acknowledged 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 19, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Grand Gate Hiroshima Restaurant by Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada - Uds Ltd., designed for UDS Ltd., has been granted the Golden A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category. 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 assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Golden A' Design Award Means
The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.
About Grand Gate Hiroshima Restaurant
Grand Gate Hiroshima is a food hall located on the second floor of the Hiroshima JP Building and connected by pedestrian walkways to Hiroshima station. The 660 square metre space contains six stores arranged in seven areas with an open concept and few partitions. Each shop has its own character, yet the whole forms a unified composition. The layout follows the shape of the Ota River delta and guides visitors through the retail zones. Materials such as terrazzo, resin and shells recall the pebbles, rivers and sea of the region.
About Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada - 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
With this recognition, Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada - Uds Ltd. is a winner of 15 A' Design Awards. The awards span the editions from 2020 - 2021 to 2025 - 2026 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. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Entries typically include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. Awarded interior designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/interior
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission 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. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated 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. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates 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, the upload of a work and the 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. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/174562
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/174562
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!174562
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/301823
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.terrace-hd.co.jp
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
- Grand Gate Hiroshima Restaurant
- Function
- Restaurant
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Black, Sienna, Dark Olive Green, Saddle Brown and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- UDS Ltd.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada - Uds Ltd.
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Golden A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #174562
Credits
- Team
- Keiichi Ito and Ryo Okada
- Image Credits
- Photographer Shinsui Ohara 2023 Optional; Photographer Shinsui Ohara 2023
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Directly connected by pedestrian walkways to Hiroshima station (In Japan), this Food Hall consists of 6 Stores, spread over 660sq.m. The space is separated into 7 areas with an open concept. Each shop and space are designed with a unique character but regardless, the whole space is an unified harmony mimicking that of the city of Hiroshima.
- Inspiration
- The cityscape of Hiroshima is shaped largely by the Ota River that has flown through it since antient times. The concept of the river delta was therefore our main inspiration. The goal of the layout and shape of the space was to imitate the delta, naturally drawing customers to the retail zones like the flow of the river.
- Research
- The research was focused on luxury restaurants and popular evening places mainly in Tokyo. The idea was to bring to Hiroshima a unique and unprecedented experience in the form of this Food Hall. In addition to the above, we also focused on the history of Hiroshima since its foundation and its culture since the postwar period to the present day. All of this was used as motifs for the design, creating a blueprint unique to Hiroshima.
- Challenge
- The client request included not only story and concept design, but enhanced value and uniqueness of the Hall. We had to create not just a Food Hall, but something unprecedented. The result was a special and unique composition of fine dining, new operation style and enhanced experience which includes even a DJ booth.
- Realization and Technology
- The materials used in each shop and every piece of furniture were selected with the specific purpose to reflect and resemble the essence of Hiroshima city. The Terrazzo used for the countertop of the bakery at the entrance mirror the pebbles of the creeks found in the Hiroshima mountains. The resin used in the craft beer store is meant to remind one of the shimmers of the rivers and sea. The use of shells in the counter of the Chefs table are expression of the nature of Hiroshima etc.
- Operation and Interaction
- The whole space is built to respect and connect with the nature and history of the city. The interior finishes include Stone, shells, and many other materials reminiscent of the local nature and charm and create a calming atmosphere. The concept of the food hall is that the customers can enjoy the variety of all the restaurants without changing places. The merchandising area includes not only local goods and products, but from all around Japan, so local customers can enjoy and feel the variety.
- Project Duration and Location
- Design work began in October 2022, while construction began in March 2023 in Hiroshima city. The Hall is located on the second floor of Hiroshima JP Building which was finally connected (in 2025) by a deck to Hiroshima station.
- Specifications
- The unity of the 660sq.m. Space was created by an open concept with the least number of partitions possible. The 6 stores and 7 sections were separated via shelfing and other furniture like counters. Bakery and merchandise were placed at the beginning of the Hall to ease the entrance of the customers, while the VIP zone and more relaxed spaces were placed at the back.
- Keywords
- Restaurant, Foodhall, Hiroshima, Bakery, Shop, beer brewery, All day dining, Niku Kappou
