Kouunji Kyakuden Icyumba cyo Kwakira cy'Urusengero by Hiroaki Iwasa

Kouunji Kyakuden Icyumba cyo Kwakira cy'Urusengero by Hiroaki Iwasa is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze in Igishushanyo cy'Ubwubatsi Competition Category.

BuronzeUbwubatsi· 2025

Kouunji Kyakuden Icyumba cyo Kwakira cy'Urusengero

by Hiroaki Iwasa

Client: Hiroaki Iwasa Architects Workshop

Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze Winner in Ubwubatsi Category

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Colors

The Design

About Kouunji Kyakuden Icyumba cyo Kwakira cy'Urusengero

Umushinga wari ugamije kubaka bushya icyumba cyo kwakira cyageze ku myaka 140, cyari kimwe mu byubatswe vya rusengero rw'Abahabudisti Kouunji. Icyumba cyo kwakira cyakera cyakunzwe cyane n'abaturage b'aho mu gihe kirekire; ariko, kubera ibyangiritse bikomeye bimaze imyaka, byasabaga ko cyubakwa bushya. Umwubatsi yakemuje izo ngorane azamura no guhuza, kandi ashyiraho uburyo bwo gukomeza kwibuka kw'umuryango w'abaturage ku gisekuru kizaza. Mu bisubizo, icyumba cyo kwakira gishya nticyagezeho gusa ikumbukirwa ry'ibyakera ahubwo kandi umwanya mu miterere y'amateka.

The Recognition

About the Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze

Kouunji Kyakuden Icyumba cyo Kwakira cy'Urusengero ni uwegukanye Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Buronze, ishimwe ry'agaciro gakomeye ritangwa ku bishushanyo by'indashyikirwa birangwa no guhanga, ubwenge n'ubushishozi. Abegukanye Buronze ni ibihangano bifite ubuhanga bwinshi kandi bihanga cyane, bishimangira uburambe, ubwenge n'ubushobozi bw'ababihanze. Kouunji Kyakuden Icyumba cyo Kwakira cy'Urusengero biteganyijwe ko izaba ikintu cyubahwa, gishimwa kandi gikundwa, gifite ubunyamwuga n'udushya. Iki gishushanyo cyegukanye Buronze gikoresha uburyo bwiza mu buhanzi, ubumenyi, ubushushanyo n'ikoranabuhanga kandi kirarenze mu gutaha ku tuntu duto. Kouunji Kyakuden Icyumba cyo Kwakira cy'Urusengero ishimisha ibyo dukeneye, ikora ku byifuzo byacu, itwara amarangamutima yacu kandi ikurura amatsiko yacu.

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