Press Release
Kouunji Kyakuden Reception Hall of Temple by Hiroaki Iwasa Is Granted the Bronze A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Hiroaki Iwasa honored for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 19, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category for Kouunji Kyakuden Reception Hall of Temple by Hiroaki Iwasa, designed for Hiroaki Iwasa Architects Workshop. The recognition forms part of the 2024 - 2025 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 evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Bronze A' Design Award Means
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 Kouunji Kyakuden Reception Hall of Temple
The project was a reconstruction of the 140 years old reception hall, which was one of the facilities of the Buddhist temple Kouunji. The old reception hall had been loved by the local community for a long period; however, due to its severe damage over the years, it needed to go through reconstruction. The architect solved these issues by updating and harmonizing, also devising some systems to pass on the memory of local community to the next generation. As a result, not only did the new reception hall achieve a sense of nostalgia but also a presence in the historical context.
About Hiroaki Iwasa
Hiroaki Iwasa is a holistic architect with a 30-year career designing a variety of projects, from architecture to products to landscapes.
Award Record
With this recognition, Hiroaki Iwasa is a winner of 3 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2023 - 2024 and the 2024 - 2025 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
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/162806
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/162806
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!162806
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/346313
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.iwasa-arch.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
- Kouunji Kyakuden Reception Hall of Temple
- Function
- Reception Hall of Temple
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Steel Blue, Cornflower Blue, Black and Light Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Hiroaki Iwasa Architects Workshop
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Hiroaki Iwasa
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #162806
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photographer Kozo Takayama
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This project was the reconstruction of the reception hall of a Buddhist temple passed 140 years. The old reception hall had been loved by the local community for long time, but it was beyond the scope of repair. Therefore architect took on various creative challenges. He aimed to solve these issues by updating it to modern functions, harmonizing it with other facilities, and devising some mechanisms to pass on the memory of local society to the next generation. As a result, this architecture was able to achieve not a sense of nostalgia but also a presence for the future.
- Inspiration
- Researching the old reception hall and the landscape and history of the area provided architect with important inspiration. In particular, the old reception hall was tilted due to the soft ground, but it was discovered that some of the main structures, such as beams and columns, were valuable materials that are currently unavailable, and could be reused if repaired. And new architecture was important not only for its shape in the landscape, but also for its presence within the historical context.
- Research
- Type of Research: About the relationship between Kouunji and the local area. Methodology: History, landscape and topography research, annual event research, monk behavior research, and interviews with local residents, Conclusion: Kouunji is the core of the local community that people have visited since childhood for events and daily life. The architect concluded that in addition to modernizing the function of the ceremony hall and harmonizing it with other facilities, it was essential to create a mechanism to pass on the memory of the local community to the next generation.
- Challenge
- Various choices and challenges were made to pass on the memory of the local community. By choosing a common wooden house construction method rather than the traditional temple construction method, they were able to shorten the construction period, reduce construction costs, and as the result have time to repair and reuse old materials. The exterior has a roof shape unique to the region, and the walls and window lattices are finished with local cedar wood and with a revived traditional natural paint "Kumezo". As a result, this architecture achieved a special harmony and presence.
- Realization and Technology
- This project had a clear floor plan with each function directly connected around the entrance hall, but there were many difficult construction tasks in some places. Ground reinforcement and strong foundation construction for soft ground, woodwork including special joints to structurally reuse old materials, fabrication of delicate and movable cedar lattices, and the revival of forgotten traditional natural paints "Kumezo". This project was realized through thoughtful design and exceptional craftsmanship.
- Operation and Interaction
- Kouunji is an essential presence for the region. Because the parishioners of Kouunji are local residents and their relatives, and annual events and celebrations and condolences are mainly held for the parishioners. The reception hall, located to the side of the main hall, functions in conjunction with the main hall during events, and is used for religious ceremonies, waiting areas, dinners using the kitchen function, and a meeting place. It also functions as an emergency temporary evacuation center in the event of a disaster. There is also a temple office that oversees them.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in February 2002 and was completed in November 2004 in Tsukubamirai City, Ibaraki Prefecture.
- Specifications
- Specification, Scale/ Wooden two-story building, Structure/ Timber frame structure, Site Area/ 3039.15 Square meter, Building Area/ 277.26 Square meter, Total Floor Area/ 323.77 Square meter,
- Keywords
- temple, reception hall, reused, minimal philosophy, local landscape, passing on the memories, historical context, local community
