Skip to content

Press Release

DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Private Villa Juge Accommodation by Maiko Minami Wins the Bronze A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

Maiko Minami acknowledged for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2019 - 2020 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 23, 2020 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Private Villa Juge Accommodation by Maiko Minami, designed for Juge Co.,ltd., has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The award was conferred within the 2019 - 2020 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.

The Bronze A' Design Award Explained

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 Private Villa Juge Accommodation

The rental villa is located on a famed tourism spot in Higashiyama Kyoto. A Japanese architect Maiko Minami designs the villa to establish new value by creation a modern architecture incorporating Japanese ethos. With a fresh sensibility by reinterpretation of traditional method, the two story wooden villa is composed of three individual gardens, various glazed windows, Japanese Washi Papers reflecting the changing sunlight, and materials finished by bright tone. Those elements provide a seasonal atmosphere animatedly in its limited small property.

About Maiko Minami

In 2017, a Japanese architect Maiko Minami founded an architecture studio AtSpace Architects based in Kyoto. Her design philosophy is to select carefully a few essential elements for the design projects, according to context and purpose of the location, the history and people who are connected to the building. As a result, her design involves "white space", in which she creates the empty space through the work process of rationalizing and up-polishing. It can assume various values, as well as affect its surrounding environment and changing situations as time passes.

Award Record

With this recognition, Maiko Minami is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

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

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
Private Villa Juge Accommodation
Function
Accommodation
Category
Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Discipline
Spatial Design
Industry
Architecture
Colors
Saddle Brown, Dim Gray, Sandy Brown, Gray and Maroon
Images
5
Client
Juge Co.,ltd.

The Recognition

Laureate
Maiko Minami
Country
Japan
Recognition
Bronze A' Design Award
Edition
2019 - 2020
Design ID
#97362

Credits

Image Credits
All Images: Photographer Daisuke Yamazoe, Private Villa Juge, 2019.

Design Details

Unique Properties
The Private Villa Juge is designed with a fresh sensibility by reinterpretation of traditional Japanese method. The three individual gardens, like as small gardens in old townhouses, contribute a vital atmosphere seasonally which are characterized by several styles. The Japanese Washi Papers installed on doors or glasses reflects aesthetic sunlight and shadow which changes by passage of time. By those elements, it feels a relation with external environment in its limited small property.
Inspiration
A main purpose of the design project is to establish new value by creation a modern architecture incorporating traditional Japanese ethos, because the location of the new-build villa is especially traditional area in Kyoto where there are already a lot of historical buildings.
Research
In designing the facade of the villa, its eaves height is a key function to keep both consonance with the original townscape of outside and the comfortable volume of inside. By researching the adjacent houses in front of the street, the facade elected with discretion configures the historic view in Kyoto. In contrast to the facade, the unique conspicuous colored door finished by natural clear paint indicates the entrance to the unexpected modern inner space.
Challenge
To create a new building in the ancient town, the design focuses on painstaking detailed studies to confirm the optimum balance between future and past. The villa features the updated details by incorporation of Japanese elements. The exposed wooden beams like a townhouse in Kyoto are finished by natural tone with the light refined sensibility, and the gold brass and silver stainless ceiling lights are installed to match with the golden ceiling and silver wall on the each tatami-rooms.
Realization and Technology
The main courtyard connected to the dining and living room is an important element for Japanese townhouses in the build-up area, which is covered by white pebbles to reflect sunlight. The central void with a sculptural staircase provides the sunlight into their guest rooms through various glasses. One of the windows is set with handmade Washi paper that creates soft sunlight on the inside. The another window has bubbles that draws an indefinite profile of the tree on the outside courtyard.
Operation and Interaction
The two story with two bedrooms and two tatami-rooms wooden villa is composed of generous private spaces. It allows guests their personal liking time with retreating from the outside bustling. For instance, the courtyards connected to guest rooms contribute fresh open air and atmosphere, the outdoor bath invites guests to relax extraordinarily with a view of the exotic garden and they could visit celebrated Kyoto temples and historical areas nearby at their personal liking time.
Project Duration and Location
The project started in May 2018 in Kyoto and completed in April 2019.
Specifications
The two kinds of windows allow to introduce the exterior view into closely. The five triangles window on the entrance imitates a historic symbol Yasaka Pagoda which is a five story pagoda build close to the property. It looks like a picture on the wall to welcome the visitors with framing the Japanese garden view. Also the deep framed window on the second floor is inspired by Japanese garden method called "Ikedori". It trims away the surrounding outside view to emphasize the Yasaka Pagoda.
Keywords
architecture, residence, villa, hotel, design, interior, garden, staircase, wooden, Japan

Good Design Deserves Great Recognition

Nominate Your Work for the A' Design Award.

Nominate