Press Release
Uketamo Hotel by Chris Yj Chen Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Chris Yj Chen recognized 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 Uketamo Hotel by Chris Yj Chen has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category. The recognition forms part of 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 Uketamo Hotel
Uketamo is a hotel interior located in the Daan District of Taipei, Taiwan. The design turns the idea of acceptance into a spatial journey. A central staircase links the lobbies of three floors, which represent the past, the present and the future. The staircase has a steel frame clad in Italian tile, and the walls carry a hand applied mineral coating with an earthy texture. A seven meter long hand tufted tapestry shifts from deep indigo to pale blue. Surfaces become lighter as guests ascend, leading from urban density toward stillness.
About Chris Yj Chen
A member of International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers. Furniture Designer, Columbia Alumni, Adjunct Lecturer. Founder of Paradox Studio, a Taipei based architectural and interior design firm that strives to develop architectural and interior projects, engage world culture and local consciousness, conceptual art and pragmatism. Paradox Studio is involved in projects at all scales, ranging from interior exhibition space to landscape master plan
Award Record
With this recognition, Chris Yj Chen is a winner of 4 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/183112
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/183112
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!183112
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/285436
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.paradox.studio
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
- Uketamo Hotel
- Function
- Hotel
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Black, Saddle Brown, Dim Gray and Dark Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Chris Yj Chen
- Country
- Taiwan (China)
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #183112
Credits
- Team
- TC Kuo and Emma Hsu
- Image Credits
- Photographer: Andrew Kan
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- By reinterpreting this ancient pilgrimage within a contemporary urban void, the designer crafted a 'Staircase of Time'. This ritualistic path invites travelers to embark on a meditative ascent that strips away the city's noise, allowing the soul to progress through a profound spiritual realignment. As guests traverse the levels, they move beyond the physical structure to experience a state of rebirth, ultimately restoring the spirit to its primal 'Zero' state.
- Inspiration
- In the heart of Taipei Daan District, HOTEL UKETAMO explores the urban sanctuary through the lens of Japanese philosophy: Uketamo, a state of acceptance. The project reimagined the traditional lobby and circulation into a 'Vertical Pilgrimage' rooted in the spiritual heritage of the Yamabushi monks from the Three Sacred Mountains of Dewa. Each level of this architectural intervention mirrors the sacred peaks' symbolism of existence: the Past, the Present, and the Future.
- Research
- The Trilogy of Life: The Arboreal Journey The central staircase acts as the architectural sapwood, vertically interconnecting the 4th, 5th, and 6th-floor lobbies into a living allegory of a tree’s growth and spiritual evolution. The design maps the "Roots-Branches-Leaves" sequence onto a temporal timeline, creating a cohesive narrative arc where movement through space mirrors the journey of life. 4F: Solid Roots (The Past). Representing the foundation of being, the design language is grounded and tactile. Heavier textures and structural honesty evoke the stability of ancient roots deep within the mountain soil. 5F: Layered Branches (The Present).
- Challenge
- The primary challenge was translating the metaphysical 'Uketamo' philosophy into a tangible architectural experience within a constrained urban footprint. It required balancing physical materiality with a spiritual narrative through three key strategies: 1. Cultivating Acceptance through Movement: One of the greatest challenges was designing the vertical circulation to facilitate a state of total acceptance (Uketamo).
- Realization and Technology
- The staircase is constructed with a structural steel frame clad in Italian tile. The surrounding walls are finished with ONE DUST Colorwash Extra, a premium mineral-based coating. This mineral paint is applied using a hand-layered technique to achieve a monolithic, earthy texture that evokes a mountain path.
- Operation and Interaction
- The center staircase is a vertical 'Cosmic Axis' bridging the celestial and the terrestrial, guided by the principle of 'As above, so below.' The Zenith, symbolizing the Origin of the Universe, acts as a spiritual 'Sun' cascading light like shimmering dewdrops. This light is captured at the base by a reflective 'Mirror Moon,' forming a Complete Circle that embodies the spiritual cycle of the Three Sacred Mountains of Dewa. This infinite resonance between the Past, Present, and Future suggests that the vastness of the universe and the reincarnation of life are both held within the stillness of the self.
- Project Duration and Location
- Completed in August 2025. Taipei, Taiwan.
- Specifications
- The central wall features a monumental 7 meter long tapestry by Yamagata Dantsu, a workshop founded in 1935. This bespoke textile was meticulously crafted over six months, integrating traditional thread cultivation, custom dyeing, and expert hand-tufting by skilled artisans. This ensures a seamless gradient transition from deep indigo to the ethereal pale blue-white of dawn light.
- Keywords
- Hotel,Uketamo,Hotel Uketamo,Taiwan,Paradox Studio,Yamagata
