Stilleness Guest House by Sohei Obata Receives the Bronze A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

Sohei Obata recognized for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 25, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Stilleness Guest House by Sohei Obata, designed for Advance Architect Co.,Ltd, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined 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.

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 Stilleness Guest House

Stilleness is a three-story guest house built on a very small plot in central Osaka, Japan. Living spaces are placed on the upper floors, while the ground floor holds a garage. Traditional Japanese features are reinterpreted through exterior tiles that resemble roof tiles, latticework and a central courtyard garden. A Goemon bath and an alcove are combined with modern facilities. The steel frame structure meets urban fire and earthquake requirements. The courtyard allows greenery to be seen from every floor, so the narrow site gains a sense of depth and calm.

About Sohei Obata

Matsuo michihiro mainly designs villas and houses. and seems to embody the new value created by the relationship between housing and society and design. Pursue design quality while securing earthquake resistance and functionality. In order to realize a low carbon society in Japan, which is a country with many earthquakes, we have selected a wooden axis for the structure, and we are challenging the possibility of making wood of houses and large buildings with earthquake resistant performance secured.

Award Record

Sohei Obata is a winner of 16 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. The awards span the editions from 2017 - 2018 to 2025 - 2026 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. The competition 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. Entries typically include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. Awarded architectural projects are published at https://designers.org/design-category/architecture

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/183449
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/183449
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!183449
Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/222614

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: Stilleness Guest House
Function: Guest House
Category: Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Discipline: Spatial Design
Industry: Architecture
Colors: Dim Gray, Black, Dark Slate Gray, Slate Gray and Sky Blue
Images: 5
Client: Advance Architect Co.,Ltd

The Recognition

Laureate: Sohei Obata
Country: Japan
Recognition: Bronze A' Design Award
Edition: 2025 - 2026
Design ID: #183449

Credits

Image Credits: Yu Kato, Way Co.,Ltd

Design Details

Unique Properties: This three-story guesthouse makes the most of the limited space in the city center. Based on the theme of "tranquility in a modern city," it incorporates reinterpretations of traditional Japanese designs, such as exterior tiles resembling roof tiles, latticework, and a courtyard garden. More than just accommodation, it offers a unique and profound sense of spiritual fulfillment by blending ancient Japanese lifestyle culture, such as a Goemon bath and an alcove, with modern design.
Inspiration: The motivation was "spiritual immersion amidst the hustle and bustle." We wanted to create a sophisticated, otherworldly space where visitors could enjoy the conveniences of the city while stepping inside and experiencing the Japanese aesthetic of "wabi-sabi." We aimed to help busy modern travelers understand Japanese life on a visceral level by allowing them to experience the unique senses of "shadow" and "space" characteristic of Japanese architecture through the use of materials and lighting.
Research: This project focuses on the research theme of "preserving tradition in small-scale urban architecture." Through the behavior and reactions of guests (especially foreigners), we will examine the healing effect of Japanese spatial beauty on today's stressful society. This design demonstrates that even in urban areas lacking historical resources, ingenuity in design can create a hub for cultural dissemination, presenting a new model for regional economic revitalization and cultural preservation.
Challenge: The challenge was to pack a courtyard and authentic Japanese design elements into a limited, extremely small plot of land while ensuring functionality to accommodate a large number of guests. Within the constraints of legal regulations and structural limitations, we struggled to transform the "narrowness" into the Japanese aesthetic of "depth." The most difficult and creative process was considering the details to harmonize the traditional Goemon bath and courtyard with modern facilities.
Realization and Technology: Despite the limited plot size, the design emphasizes "visual expansion." The space is structured around the landscaping of the courtyard, ensuring that greenery can be felt from every floor. The pathway from the small courtyard to the entrance hall with its alcove recreates the experience of a "roji" (alleyway) leading to a tea room. In addition to functionality, delicate textures are added with lattices and tiles, creating a balanced combination of hard and soft elements.
Operation and Interaction: The first floor is primarily used as a garage. Living spaces are located on the second floor and above, with rooms arranged in a continuous flow. Wide passageways are provided between each building to allow large vehicles to move around the property, and terraces are provided for residents to gather and foster a sense of community. High walls and a heavy gate surround the perimeter to enhance security.
Project Duration and Location: The project was completed in Osaka, Japan in March 2026
Specifications: Site area: 76.55 Size: 135.71 Structure: Steel Floor: 3 While employing a steel frame construction that meets urban fire and earthquake resistance standards, the design incorporates traditional materials reproduced with modern technology in the form of roof tiles on the exterior walls. By optimizing the plumbing within the limited area and achieving a sophisticated spatial layout that balances views of the courtyard with privacy, a comfortable stay is ensured.
Keywords: Guest House, Residence, Architecture