Kouunji Kyakuden 客殿 by Hiroaki Iwasa is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award 銅賞 in 建築・建物・構造物デザイン Competition Category.
銅建築· 2025
Kouunji Kyakuden 客殿
Client: Hiroaki Iwasa Architects Workshop
A' Design Award 銅賞 Winner in 建築 Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #162806The Design
About Kouunji Kyakuden 客殿
この計画は、曹洞宗高雲寺の施設のひとつである築140年の客殿の再建である。長年、地域の人々に愛されてきたこの客殿は、損傷が激しく補修の限界を超えていたことから建て替えの必要に迫られていた。建築家は、施設全体の更新と調和を図り、地域の記憶を次世代へ継承する幾つかの仕掛けをこの建築に込め、これらの問題を解決した。その結果、新たな客殿は、単に郷愁を誘うだけでなく、歴史的文脈の中で存在感を放つものとなった。
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award 銅賞
Kouunji Kyakuden 客殿は、創造性、独創性、鋭い洞察力で際立つ傑出したデザインに授与される、高い権威をもつ評価である A' Design Award 銅賞の受賞作品です。銅賞の受賞作品は、十分に巧みで印象的なほど創造的な工芸品であり、デザイナーの豊富な経験、想像力、機知を裏づけています。Kouunji Kyakuden 客殿は、高く評価され、称賛され、愛される品であり、顕著にプロフェッショナルで革新的であることが期待されます。この A' Design Award 銅賞を受賞したデザインは、芸術・科学・デザイン・技術のベストプラクティスを取り入れており、細部への配慮に優れています。Kouunji Kyakuden 客殿は、ニーズを見事に満たし、欲求に触れ、感情を魅了し、好奇心を引きつけます。
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- 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.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 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, - Tags
- temple, reception hall, reused, minimal philosophy, local landscape, passing on the memories, historical context, local community
- Production 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.
- Design 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.
- 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. - 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.
- Project Duration
- The project started in February 2002 and was completed in November 2004 in Tsukubamirai City, Ibaraki Prefecture.
- Operation Flow
- 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. - Image Credits
- Photographer Kozo Takayama
Sponsored
Explore Beyond Designers.org
Discover products, services and opportunities from our advertising partners.
More to Explore
Related Designs
Explore more award-winning designs from the same category, selected by merit.
