Obayashi Corporation Wins Gold and Silver at the "A' Design Award," One of the World's Largest International Design Competitions
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Sustainability
In the "Architecture, Building and Structure Design" category of the A' Design Award 2024-2025, one of the world's largest international design competitions held in Italy, "Building 22 of Yamaha Corporation headquarters," which was designed and constructed by Obayashi Corporation, received the Gold Award, while "YOKOHAMA SYMPHOSTAGE" and "Park Wellstate Nishiazabu," also designed and built by Obayashi Corporation, received the Silver Award.
The A' Design Award and Competition is an international design award program that consists of over 100 categories, including architecture and interior design as well as product and graphic design. Each year, tens of thousands of entries are submitted to the program from around the world. Through strict evaluation by leading experts in each field, outstanding works are awarded with Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze or Iron Award in the descending order of excellence.
Gold Award
Building 22 of Yamaha Corporation headquarters
Located in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka, this is an office building of Yamaha, the world's pre-eminent music instrument maker, with 12 stories above the ground. The building was completed in 2024 as the culmination of Yamaha's headquarters restructuring project that had been pursued since 2007. The previously dispersed office functions were integrated to deepen employee interaction and enhance relationships among divisions.
The lower section features a dynamic double-height pilotis space and a carriage porch, and an open-air outdoor terrace sits above it. The higher section rises vertically, designed to serve as a symbol of the business establishment that communicates the Yamaha brand, and furthermore, as a landmark in the locality.
Silver Award
YOKOHAMA SYMPHOSTAGE
This is a large-scale complex consisting of offices, commercial facilities, a hotel, shops, and other tenants that was completed in the Yokohama Minato Mirai area, Kanagawa. The building's completion helped unify previously separated pedestrian flows between Yokohama Station and Minato Mirai Station, creating a new flow of people in the Minato Mirai area.
Solar radiation, wind, pedestrian traffic flows, etc. were simulated in plazas, while an exterior design plan to optimize air-conditioning and lighting efficiency was adopted for offices. The complex building has achieved not only comfort but also a reduction in environmental impact.
Silver Award
Park Wellstate Nishiazabu
This is a 36-story residence for elderly people, opened in Minato-ku, Tokyo in 2024 with the aim of enabling seniors to move in while they are still healthy and vibrant, and to fully enjoy their lives through enriched services.
The exterior features a graceful design that harmonizes with the streetscape, and shared facilities to enrich residents' lives, such as a library, spa and dining area, are dispersedly located within the building, offering space where they can spend their time in a variety of ways.
The building has created a living environment where residents who spend much time on the premises can live comfortably while feeling nature, such as greenery, water and wind.
Obayashi remains dedicated to contributing to the realization of a better society by providing buildings of outstanding design that bring comfort and prosperity.