Press Release
Itomachi Hotel 0 Interior by Ikuma Watase Is Granted the A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Ikuma Watase acknowledged for interior space and exhibition design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 20, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category for Itomachi Hotel 0 Interior by Ikuma Watase. The result belongs to the 2024 - 2025 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 A' Design Award
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
Regarding Itomachi Hotel 0 Interior
Itomachi Hotel 0 is a hotel interior and landscape design located in Saijo, Japan. The hotel uses solar power systems and ecological materials, and is the first hotel in Japan certified as a Net Zero Energy Building. The design is based on two local resources, Uchinuki groundwater drawn from wells and Iyo Blue Stone. Each guest room has an open washbasin facing the entrance, and Uchinuki is also placed in the central courtyard, so the sound of water is heard throughout the hotel. The design supports the revitalization of the town.
About Ikuma Watase
Ikuma Watase specializes in architecture, interior design, and landscape design. Typically, these fields require experts to collaborate, but he has a well-rounded background in all these areas, allowing him to design in a multifaceted and integrated way. The firm is based in Tokyo, Japan, and operates not only throughout Japan but also in regions such as China and Vietnam. Their projects span a wide range of fields, including hotels, restaurants, offices, sports facilities, residences, and public spaces, with a proven track record in each.
Award Record
This recognition makes Ikuma Watase 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/164549
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/164549
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!164549
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/359247
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://x.gd/pESN9
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Itomachi Hotel 0 Interior
- Function
- Interior
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Dark Gray, Light Gray, Gray, Silver and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Ikuma Watase
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #164549
Credits
- Image Credits
- 5: Photographer Yoshiro Masuda,2024.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Itomachi Hotel 0 is a zero-energy hotel that has adopted solar power systems and ecological materials, making it the first in Japan to obtain Net Zero Energy Building(ZEB) certification. The design is based on local cultural and environmental resources, specifically Uchinuki (groundwater from well) and Iyo Blue Stone, with the goal of creating a foundation for the revitalization of the town as a symbol of Saijo.
- Inspiration
- The region utilizes underground water from wells called "Uchinuki," unique to the area due to the local terrain, and there is no conventional water supply system as found elsewhere in Japan. This water is very clean and can be consumed directly. The area is also known for producing "Iyo Blue Stone," which has a bluish-green hue with white stripes. The stone changes from a light tone when dry to a darker tone when wet. These two unique resources were used as design keywords for the design.
- Research
- Saijo does not have tourist attractions like those found in Tokyo or Kyoto. However, it boasts a pleasant climate and a rich rural landscape nestled between mountains and the sea, making it an ideal location for urban workers seeking workation opportunities and for people living in nearby cities for a second home. Therefore, we planed kitchen and co-working space, rare for hotels. As a result, the hotel is used by many business guests who aim to "spending time in this town, at this hotel".
- Challenge
- Japan is facing a serious population decline, particularly in rural areas where urban decay is evident through the increasing number of vacant houses and abandoned farmland. Saijo is experiencing similar challenges, and the project owner, originally from Saijo, was seeking solutions. In response, we thought that by designing the hotel based on Uchinuki and Iyo Blue Stone, guests could experience the charm of Saijo, and the hotel could serve as a symbol for the revitalization of the town.
- Realization and Technology
- The layout of the guest rooms was centered around Uchinuki. Each guest room features an open-format washbasin directly across from the entrance, creating a symbolic that evokes the abundant water resources. The villa type has an open-air bath with natural hot spring water that comes from a deeper stratum than Uchinuki. Guests can experience cold and hot types of water, which is a rare environmental resource of Saijo.
- Operation and Interaction
- we proposed ecological design that combines natural resources such as Uchinuki and Iyo Blue Stone with sustainable materials made from recycled glass and fibers, as well as traditional local crafts like washi paper and ceramics. This hotel is committed not only to maintaining the environment during its construction but also to contributing to job creation for local residents and increasing the town's revenue, thereby supporting the revitalization of the community for years to come.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in November 2021 in Ehime,Japan and finished in March 2024, and ITOMACHI HOTEL 0 was opened in May 2024.
- Specifications
- In this project, it was possible to propose not only the interior design but also the landscape design as a unified concept. Therefore, Uchinuki was placed not only in the guest rooms but also in the center of the courtyard, planned so that the sound of water always echoes throughout the hotel. The color scheme was based on the use of light and dark tones of stone in each space. All guests to allways experience the local character and charms of Saijo wherever they are in the hotel.
- Keywords
- Hotel, interior, landscape, sustainable, recycling, Renewable Energy, Net Zero Energy Building, SDGs
