Mitsubishi Jisho Design announces the winners of the 2022 In-House Awards

■ Excellence Award
NHK Saga Broadcasting Hall

Based on the concept of "a hub for information, culture and exchange, a pioneer in revitalizing the city centre", we aimed to create an information dissemination hub rooted in the local community. We planned a building that embodies Saga, a prefecture famous for its pottery, with an appearance that would be welcomed with familiarity and pride by the local community. The powerful impression given by the raw material pottery stone was superimposed on the appearance of a sturdy building that protects the broadcasting functions, and the shadows created by the unevenness of facade serve as a "landscape device" that expresses the concept of time. With the cooperation of the relevant parties, we developed a method of using pottery fragments as part of the exterior and interior building materials. We aim to communicate the existence of discarded pottery fragments through the architecture.
As the culmination of the work of a team that has worked on numerous broadcasting facilities, this project demonstrated comprehensive capabilities in terms of technology, the environment, and even ties with the local community. Despite the complex given conditions, the project was highly praised for its facade design and proposals that were open to the local community.

■ Excellence Award
FUKAYA-HANAZONO Premium Outlets® Phase 1

This is a plan for the 10th premium outlet in Japan. Unlike conventional premium outlets, this outlet (a commercial facility with an outdoor passage) aims to utilize the attractions of the area, such as the nature, industry, and culture of the planned site and its surrounding areas, and to become a "tourist hub that also contributes to the development of the area." Inspired by natural elements such as the waterscape and trees of the nearby scenic spot of Nagatoro, and the lilies that are a specialty of Fukaya City, as well as the characteristic building material of the area, "brick," these elements were abstracted and reconstructed.
The theme of the project is not simply to create a commercial facility for shopping, but to "create a place where people can enjoy spending time however they like." In addition to attempting a new design not seen in previous premium outlets, the project was praised for its collaboration with neighboring facilities and its incorporation of the local environment.

■ Excellence Award
Slit Park YURAKUCHO

This project involved renovating the office entrance and back alley of the Shin Kokusai Building, located in the heart of the Yurakucho area. Utilizing indoor and outdoor spaces such as gaps and corridors within the building, we carried out an experimental Renovation of the existing building to create new appeal for the area. The building entrance, covered with a new earthen wall reminiscent of a geological stratum, drew energy from the street, and the back alleys connected to it generated a lively atmosphere never before seen in the area. Utilizing existing stock, we proposed a new form of urban space.
Although it was a small-scale project, it was praised for its social impact not only on the building itself or the site, but also as a proposal for the city and region.At the same time, it was noted that the proposal could be a template for cities with similar problems as a general-purpose project, and that the fact that the designer and the developer worked together to put it together demonstrates the breadth of our design expertise.

■ Best Picture
Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Head Office

This is a reconstruction project for the head office building of a pharmaceutical company located in Yotsuya, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo. Taking advantage of the wide frontage of the site, we planned a series of windows that emphasized the horizontal direction, and by creating an exterior with uneven PCa panels in the spandrels and switching colors, we expressed the company's solidity and originality at the same time. In addition, by taking advantage of the location to reduce the air conditioning load and reduce energy consumption for lighting and air conditioning, the building has obtained ZEB Ready certification, making it a building that is considerate of people and the environment.
As a project underway amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the workplace was created through repeated discussions with the client on the question, "What kind of headquarters facility is needed right now?" The project was recognized for being able to thoroughly explore a variety of themes, including design and environmental aspects, by establishing an ambitious in-house project structure.

■ Best Picture
SEITOKU Kindergarten

This is a plan to rebuild a kindergarten in a densely populated residential area, with construction ongoing while residents are still living there. The structural plan does not require walls or pillars at the corners of the architecture or rooms, and aims to create spaces that connect and separate while blurring the boundaries of individual areas.
While maintaining an appropriate distance between the children's educational environment and the surrounding area, the activities at the kindergarten, the signs of the local residents' lives outside the kindergarten, the changing sky and greenery, and other internal and external phenomena are visualized as a continuous landscape, creating an open environment where children starting their social lives can feel various relationships with their surroundings. The design was evaluated for its compatibility with the location of a residential area and the sometimes contradictory open space.

■ Special Award
Trinity Tower

Located in the business district of central Jakarta, Indonesia, this complex is made up of a 246m-tall office tower and an annex with commercial facilities and a parking lot. The design theme was "Tranquility," and the simple design took advantage of the tower-to-building ratio of approximately 1:5.5, creating a plan that would blend in with the surrounding skyscrapers and bring harmony to the urban landscape.
This project is our first completed project in Indonesia, and embodies the urban design philosophy that we have been working on in Japanese urban development, including Marunouchi. Although it was a project in a remote location, the careful attention to detail and finish selection was highly evaluated.

■ Environment and Technology Award Grand Prize

Fukuda Denshi Hongo Office - Building facilities planning to support a healthy corporate environment

Architectural facility planning for a medical equipment manufacturer located in Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. We proposed an environmental concept centered on "employee health: ensuring a comfortable working environment," "business health: ensuring functional redundancy and BCP functions," and "global environment health: ensuring energy conservation."
The project was recognized for its ability to realize environmental design that incorporates architectural plans that serve as a place to prove the concept, and for fully demonstrating its strengths as an organizational design firm, such as involving facility managers from the early stages of design.The project was also recognized for demonstrating that environmental performance equivalent to ZEB Ready can be achieved by accumulating simple, small technologies, demonstrating performance that goes beyond ZEB.

■ Environment and Technology Award
High-rise office building acquires ZEB Ready certification
(Towards smart spec setting)

The "Uchikanda 1-chome Project (Tentative name)," for which we designed and Construction Supervision, has become the first Mitsubishi Estate office building to receive the "ZEB Ready (office portion)" certification. In obtaining the certification, we conducted case studies and cost studies on sensitivity analysis of various energy reduction options to carefully examine the items to be implemented, and also formulated new design standards to optimize equipment capacity. ZEB certification is generally considered more difficult to achieve the larger the building, but through these efforts and support, we have achieved a high-rise tenant office building that meets the standards.
The project was highly praised for its planning ability, which led the entire Mitsubishi Estate Group to hold extensive discussions and compiled today's essential environmental proposals into new design standards. The specifications developed here are expected to become the standard smart specifications (new environmentally friendly standard specifications) for office buildings in the future, and become a "prescription" to change the world.

■ +EMOTION Award
Creation of MJD Standard Detail English and Southeast Asian versions

In overseas design projects, within our company's scope of work (mainly up to schematic design), we are required to create architecture that utilizes the know-how we have cultivated in Japan and ensures the required performance. As one way to achieve this goal, we created an "English version" of our standard details, as well as a "Southeast Asian version" that takes into account the climate, customs, and constructability of Southeast Asia. The standard details, which are over 400 pages long, were translated and customized to fit the local needs through repeated interviews and discussions with manufacturers, contractors, local architectural firms, and experienced designers.
As people of diverse languages and races come together to promote the project, it is hoped that this tool will serve as a "common language" and aid in communication to build better buildings.

■ +EMOTION Award
Otemachi Building SKYLAB

The open space on the roof of the nine-story Otemachi Building, which was completed in 1958, was redeveloped to be used as a workplace for local workers, mainly those employed in the building. Although it was used for various purposes when it was first completed, it was closed for a long time after that. Rather than viewing the space negatively as a "valley surrounded by skyscrapers," we viewed it positively as a "modern, urban aerial courtyard created over time," aiming to open it up as a place where new work styles can be realized.
This project was recognized as being unprecedented in its scale as it actively manipulates the rooftop of a building.