YN International School Hale Hoʻonaʻauao by Nobuaki Miyashita

YN International School Hale Hoʻonaʻauao by Nobuaki Miyashita is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Kala in Hoʻolālā Hale, Kūkulu a me Hōʻuluʻulu Competition Category.

KalaHoʻolālā Hale· 2026

YN International School Hale Hoʻonaʻauao

by Nobuaki Miyashita

Client: Jones Lang LaSalle K.K.

A' Design Award Kala Winner in Hoʻolālā Hale Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #181294

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About YN International School Hale Hoʻonaʻauao

ʻO ke Kula Honua ʻo YN he pā kula honua i hoʻolālā ʻia ma Yokohama, Iapana. Ke unuhi nei ka hoʻolālā i nā ʻāpana kalo laiki papapa o Iapana ma ke ʻano he ʻōnaehana kikowaena no ka hoʻonaʻauao. Piʻi aʻe kekahi hale ʻanuʻu mai ka ʻākau a i ka hema e hoʻokō ai i nā lula koʻikoʻi no ka hoʻomalu ʻana i ke aka, a ʻo nā papapa hale kanu ʻia ma luna, ua hoʻonoho papa ʻia e like me nā ʻāina hoʻonaʻauao ma waho i kēlā me kēia lā. Na kekahi puka mālamalama waena a me kekahi ākea hāmama e lawe i ka mālamalama o ke ao i loko loa o ka hoʻolālā lōʻihi a e kōkua i nā haumāna e hoʻomau i ko lākou kūlana. Mālama nā alo lumi papa aniani i ka ʻike ʻia ʻana o ke aʻo ʻana, e kākoʻo ana i ka mahalo nīele a me ka launa moʻomeheu like ʻole. He 11,300 mika ʻāpana paha ka nui o ke kahua.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Kala

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā YN International School Hale Hoʻonaʻauao i ka A' Design Award Kala, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kiʻekiʻe loa, nani a kupaianaha. He mau hana ʻālohilohi loa a hana noʻeau nui nā lanakila Kala e hōʻike ana i ka loea, ka makakoho a me ka ʻoi aku o ka noʻonoʻo o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā YN International School Hale Hoʻonaʻauao he hana kupaianaha, kūlana ʻoi aku, ʻoihana kiʻekiʻe a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Kala he mea hoʻokumu kūpono loa, mahalo ʻia e hāʻawi i ka pōmaikaʻi a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. He mea i ʻeleu ʻia e nā mea he nui ka hoʻolālā YN International School Hale Hoʻonaʻauao e hoʻāla i ka makemake, lawe mai i nā manaʻo maikaʻi a hoʻāla i ka kamahaʻo a me ka mahalo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Planned international school campus in Yokohama, Kanagawa (design 2023-2025, unbuilt). A rice-terrace-inspired section steps upward from north to south to satisfy strict shadow control, while stacking green roof terraces as everyday learning landscapes. A central skylight and atrium bring daylight deep into the long plan, and transparent classroom fronts promote curiosity and cross-cultural interaction. Site approx. 11,300 sqm; total construction floor area approx. 29,000 sqm.
Dimensions & Packaging: Planned campus: B2F + 5F; building height approx. 19.5 m. Typical floor height 3.9 m (1F-5F); ceiling height 3.0 m (1F-5F, B1) and 4.0 m (B2); floor height 4.4 m (B1) and 6.1 m (B2). Total construction floor area approx. 29,000 sqm on a site approx. 11,300 sqm. Key devices: stepped massing for shadow control, green roof terraces, central skylight and atrium, transparent classroom fronts.
Tags: Architecture, International school, Educational facility, Rice terraces, Green roof terraces, Atrium, Skylight, Daylight, Shadow control, Japanese culture
Production Technology: Realized through section, not a decorative skin. Terraces and roofs are layered as planted open spaces, forming a continuous learning landscape. A large skylight spans the center of the elongated volume, and an open atrium increases daylight penetration and visual connection between floors. Classroom fronts use glass partitions to keep learning visible and inviting while maintaining controlled separation.
Design Challenge: Challenge: create an internationally open learning environment while conveying Japanese culture without turning tradition into decoration, and also satisfy strict shadow control. The solution turns compliance into identity: a rice-terrace-inspired mass steps upward from north to south and layers green roof terraces as everyday learning landscapes. Inside, a large skylight and atrium secure daylight and orientation, while transparent classroom fronts keep learning visible and interactive.
Research: Type: design research. Objective: translate rice-terrace heritage into an educational campus that meets strict shadow control while providing biophilic learning space. Method: iterative north-to-south sectional studies; stacking green roof terraces; daylight strategy using a central skylight and atrium across an elongated plan; transparency via glass classroom fronts. Tools/Data: compliance and daylight checks. Result: a campus where cultural identity is experienced as daily landscape and light, supported by bright shared interiors and accessible terraces.
Inspiration: Inspired by rice terraces, a Japanese landscape shaped by slope, water, and time. The campus translates this heritage into an urban school: overlapping green roof terraces form a daily outdoor learning terrain, while the stepped section rising north to south responds rationally to strict shadow control. The concept lets international students sense Japanese culture through routine movement, light, and landscape, not as decoration.
Project Duration: Location: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Design period: 2023-2025. Project status: unbuilt, construction not scheduled. The proposal forms a stepped, rice-terrace-like campus mass shaped by strict shadow control, with layered green roof terraces and a central skylight/atrium for daylight quality. Site approx. 11,300 sqm; total construction floor area approx. 29,000 sqm.
Operation Flow: The campus works as a vertical landscape. Students move along layered terraces and corridors around a central atrium, keeping orientation in the long plan. The skylight and atrium make shared spaces bright and legible, while green roof terraces support daily outdoor learning and rest. Glass-partitioned classrooms keep activities visible, encouraging curiosity, spontaneous encounters, and cross-cultural exchange.
Image Credits: Image #1: Nobuaki Miyashita (MR STUDIO Co.,Ltd.)
Image #2: Nobuaki Miyashita (MR STUDIO Co.,Ltd.)
Image #3: Nobuaki Miyashita (MR STUDIO Co.,Ltd.)
Image #4: Nobuaki Miyashita (MR STUDIO Co.,Ltd.)
Image #5: Nobuaki Miyashita (MR STUDIO Co.,Ltd.)