Press Release
Genta Takano Receives the Bronze A' Design Award for Forest Archetype House in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Genta Takano for architecture, building and structure design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category for Forest Archetype House by Genta Takano, designed for Gla. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided 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.
About Forest Archetype House
Forest Archetype is a residential project that translates the spatial order of a forest into a compact architectural form. The design is organized through a layered structural system rather than conventional room divisions. Vertical structural elements define movement and activities while maintaining visual continuity across the interior. This layered composition creates open voids and semi outdoor spaces that support flexible daily use. Through clear structural logic and spatial sequencing the house achieves richness and openness while remaining restrained in scale.
About Genta Takano
During the past 20 years, I have seen a considerable number of buildings both in Japan and abroad due to my work. There are various styles of architecture, from Japanese architecture to Western architecture. Each is authentic to its era and rooted in the land. What I want to cherish is not to simply place the borrowed style on the site, but to explore with everyone a new genre of architecture that has emerged beyond those styles through discussion. As many great masters say, architecture is a mirror of the spirit of the times.
Award Record
With this recognition, Genta Takano is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
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/174638
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/174638
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!174638
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/370931
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.ghent-label-archi.com
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
- Forest Archetype House
- Function
- House
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Dark Olive Green, Black, Gray and Dark Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Gla
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Genta Takano
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #174638
Credits
- Image Credits
- GLA
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This project is a residential building that reinterprets the spatial structure of a forest within a compact domestic setting. Instead of relying on conventional room divisions, the house is organized through a layered structural system that integrates architecture and built in furniture. Large, trunk like elements form the spatial backbone of the house, enabling diverse activities and visual connections. By combining structural clarity with spatial flexibility, the design achieves richness and openness while remaining restrained in scale.
- Inspiration
- This project was inspired by repeated observations of a forest adjacent to the site. Through walking and spending time within this environment, I became aware of its spatial order, formed by the vertical presence of trees and their layered relationships. Rather than imitating the forest as a natural form, the design seeks to abstract its vitality into a clear architectural system. This led to the development of large, trunk like structural elements arranged in layered compositions, responding to the trees along the cliff and translating their spatial logic into architecture.
- Research
- This project is based on design research exploring residential architecture adjacent to natural forests. The objective was to understand how built space can coexist with a forest while maintaining continuity rather than separation. The methodology involved on-site observation, spatial analysis, and iterative design testing. Tools included site walks, sketches, physical models, and full-scale spatial studies. The primary participants were the architect and the future occupants. The result was a four layered spatial system that aligns architectural elements with the scale of trees.
- Challenge
- The primary challenge was balancing continuity with the forest while maintaining architectural clarity and structural stability. From a creative perspective, the project required reconciling Japanese spatial traditions, such as the fragmentation of small rooms, with contemporary residential needs. From a technical standpoint, ensuring sufficient structural performance in a timber building led to the adoption of a reinforced frame using aramid fiber sheets to address lateral forces. Material selection was also critical, as silver steel surfaces were carefully introduced to reflect seasonal light without overwhelming the interior.
- Realization and Technology
- The ceiling above the central void was finished with a low gloss metallic surface to control light reflection and enhance spatial depth. This surface subtly reflects changes in daylight and surrounding vegetation throughout the seasons, contributing to environmental continuity without direct visual imitation. Large suspended panels beneath the ceiling were designed as abstracted elements derived from surrounding trees, using simplified geometry and controlled spacing. These elements modulate light, views, and scale, creating differentiated spatial conditions through material treatment rather than enclosure.
- Operation and Interaction
- The house is experienced through movement rather than fixed rooms. As occupants walk through the interior, the layered walls gradually align with the scale and rhythm of the surrounding trees. This creates a continuous flow between inside and outside, where built elements and natural scenery visually overlap. Living within the house involves moving through changing degrees of openness, light, and enclosure. This interaction allows daily activities to unfold naturally, producing a calm and immersive environment that feels connected to the adjacent forest rather than separated from it.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was completed in 2017 in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
- Specifications
- Number of floors: 2 above ground Eaves height: 5885mm Maximum height: 6386mm Site area: 1293.00m2 Building area: 85.11m2 (Building coverage ratio: 6.58%, allowable: 60%) Total floor area: 124.14m2 (Floor area ratio: 9.60%, allowable: 200%) First floor area: 72.16m2 Second floor area: 51.98m2 Construction type: Timber structure
- Keywords
- house, architecture, forest, spatial structure, timber
