Press Release
Silver A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design Goes to The Japanese Restaurant Hotel by Yohei Akao - Strickland
The international grand jury of the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Yohei Akao - Strickland for interior space and exhibition design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2021 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that The Japanese Restaurant Hotel by Yohei Akao - Strickland, designed for Strickland, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2020 - 2021 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 assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Silver A' Design Award Means
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 The Japanese Restaurant Hotel
The Japanese Restaurant is an all-day dining restaurant inside a luxury resort in Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The 401 square meter space serves Edomae sushi, teppanyaki, kaiseki cuisine and a la carte dishes. A long corridor with a lattice inspired by Kanuma Kumiko craft leads to the reception and the main dining room, which overlooks Mount Nantai. Teppanyaki and sushi counters, a tatami room, a private room and terrace seating surround the main area. Aluminum die-cast lattices, yellow Juraku walls and a carved red panel of local plants are used.
About Yohei Akao - Strickland
Native to Japan, Yohei Akao graduated from Musashino Art University in 1997 having studied in the Department of Spatial Planning Design. Yohei joined the eminent SUPER POTATO CO., LTD. in 2001, before establishing his own and setting up Strickland in 2011. As a founder and design producer of Strickland, Yohei is well experienced in working in hospitality projects with his extensive portfolio encompassing international projects. His projects require in-depth research and thorough planning with holistic design approach, promising to cater tailor-made design for every project, revamping and creating iconic and unique entertaining space.
Award Record
With this recognition, Yohei Akao - Strickland is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
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/120147
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/120147
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!120147
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/302029
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.strickland.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
- The Japanese Restaurant Hotel
- Function
- Hotel
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Maroon, Saddle Brown, Black and Sienna
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Strickland
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Yohei Akao - Strickland
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2020 - 2021
- Design ID
- #120147
Credits
- Team
- WORKTECHT LIGHTING DESIGN & CONSULTANT and ART FRONT GALLERY
- Image Credits
- Photographer Yoshio Shiratori
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Nikko City in Tochigi Prefecture, about two and a half hours from Tokyo, located at The Ritz-Carlton Nikko, a luxury resort, overlooking Mt. Nantai on the shores of Lake Chuzenji. A specialty restaurant that offers Edomae sushi, Teppanyaki, Kaiseki cuisine, and a la carte while being an all-day dining restaurant. Passing through the long corridor from its entrance, there is a main dining room with a view of Mt. Nantai, various seats such as a tatami room and a counter enjoying dining.
- Inspiration
- There are 3 design cores. The first is "traditional Japanese residence composition" which has the corridor, tea room, Shoin-zukuri, and garden. The second is "Nature of Nikko". Inspired by the flora and fauna that live around Lake Chuzenji in Nikko, replaced with a modern interpretation, and used for patterns. The final is "Nikko Craftsmanship". A collection of master craftsmen from all over Japan during the construction of Nikko Toshogu, which is now a World Heritage Site, and as a result, various crafts that make use of this land-specific technology remain.
- Research
- In design, researching on the "location" and "history" of land is very important. What happened in this place, what was happening in this place? The town of Nikko, on a high mountain, in front of Lake Chuzenji, a place that used to be a summer resort. Gradually narrowing the scope of research, we carefully narrowed down the appropriate way of land. Ultimately, it should be the only space with a story that can only be expressed in this land.
- Challenge
- The most challenging content for us was how to replace traditional Japanese crafts with modern ones suitable for luxury hotels. Replacing materials from wood to metal and giving patterns a more modern look. Using various methods such as changing the scale of the pattern, trial and error was carried out to maintain modernity and a sense of grade, and finally the design was completed. It was also challenging to collaborate with the son of a master craftsman of Nikko Toshogu. After repeated discussions, we carefully derived the scale of the motif and the depth of carving.
- Realization and Technology
- ・ Aluminum die-cast lattice inspired by traditional craft, Kanuma Kumiko ・ Yellow Juraku wall inspired by the Shoin-zukuri ・ A red carving panel with the motif of seasonal plants that live around Lake Chuzenji in collaboration with a master of Nikko carving.
- Operation and Interaction
- Guests arrive at the reception as they pass through a long corridor of light and shadow woven by a lattice inspired by Kanuma Kumiko. The reception counter adopts Japanese tea ceremony, boiling water and inviting guests with tea hospitality. Further through the corridor, you will encounter a large space in the large main dining room, with a sloping lattice ceiling covered with indirect lighting. In addition, there are private rooms for teppanyaki counters, sushi counters, and tatami mats around the main dining area.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project finished in July 2020, located in Nikko city, Japan.
- Specifications
- The total area of this restaurant is 401 square meters. It has a main dining area, Teppanyaki room, Sushi room, private dining room and terrace seating area.
- Keywords
- hotel, restaurant, luxury, hospitality
