Winner of the Grand Prix and Special Prize at the Jacques Rougerie Foundation-INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION IN ARCHITECTURE 2023

In the international competition Jacques Rougerie Foundation-INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION IN ARCHITECTURE 2023, which is organized by the Jacques Rougerie Foundation, the proposal submitted by our Tokyo Main Office Design Department won the Grand Prix and a Special Award.
The competition is an international environmental architecture design competition sponsored annually by the Jacques Rougerie Foundation, which was founded by French architect Jacques Rougerie. It is an open competition in three categories: Sea Level Rise, Sea/Marine Architecture, and Space/Space Architecture. This year marked the 13th competition. The jury, chaired by Dominique Perrault, who is designer of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, selected our proposal "Regenerative Islands" as the Grand Prix winner in the Sea Level Rise category from a total of approximately 750 entries, and our proposal, "Terraforming Ray" was selected for the Special Award in the Space category.

Pacific island nations face the threat of submergence due to rising sea levels and coastal erosion from storm surges, which destroy their habitats and ecosystems. To address these problems, we proposed "Regenerative Islands," architecture that expands islands by restraining the force of waves and depositing sand along the coastline. The deposition of sand promotes self-healing and growth of islands, which in turn contributes to securing habitat and restoring coastal ecosystems. Architecture will also be incorporated into the island nation's cycles for materials, environment, water, energy, and food, creating a new ecological network throughout the island that will revitalize people's lives and livelihoods. The project received high praise for its attempt to maintain the environmental and cultural sustainability of the island nation by utilizing natural processes such as the deposition of sand on the coast, and for the creativity of its landscaping that integrates architecture and nature.

In the field of space, various programs, including the Artemis Project, are underway to enable sustainable human activities on planets other than Earth. Mars is attracting attention as a candidate for a manned base, but its harsh environment with strong winds and soil containing toxic substances is a major obstacle to the survival of living organisms. To solve this problem, we proposed “Terraforming Ray.” Using a geometry based on the hydrodynamics of a stingray, this system converts strong winds into energy and turns soil into fertile matter, transforming Mars into a planet teeming with water and vegetation that is habitable by humans. The novelty of the bold use of wind in the field of space and the artistry of the form were highly acclaimed.