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DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Rodrigo Ohtake Receives the A' Design Award for Ibiuna Prefabricated Weekend House in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

The international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Rodrigo Ohtake for architecture, building and structure design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 19, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ Ibiuna Prefabricated Weekend House by Rodrigo Ohtake, designed for Ohtake, has been granted the A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the A' Design Award Means

The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.

Regarding Ibiuna Prefabricated Weekend House

This modular project is intended to be an example of something built by man, but in harmony with nature. The challenge was to design a house that doesn't look like a prefabricated modular house. The solution presented consists of several prefabricated modules connected by open spaces. Another important aspect of the Ibiuna House is the rationalized way in which it has been integrated into the territory. The construction project has not resulted in the accumulation of waste or leftovers and the project is also thermally efficient.

About Rodrigo Ohtake

Graduated as Architect and Urbanist at FAU/USP (University of São Paulo) in 2009, with a study period at Politecnico di Milano. He collaborated with architects Mario Biselli, Alvaro Puntoni and french designer Patrick Jouin. He also worked from 2008 until 2017 with his father Ruy Ohtake. In 2022, he creates OHTAKE, union of Ruy and Rodrigo studios. A multidisciplinary studio of architecture, design and urbanism and new construction and material technologies.

Award Record

Rodrigo Ohtake is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.

About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award

The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Typical entries include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. The awarded architectural projects are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/architecture

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Ibiuna Prefabricated Weekend House
Function
Weekend House
Category
Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Discipline
Spatial Design
Industry
Architecture
Colors
Dark Slate Gray, Dark Olive Green, Sky Blue, Black and Dark Cyan
Images
5
Client
Ohtake

The Recognition

Laureate
Rodrigo Ohtake
Country
Brazil
Recognition
A' Design Award
Edition
2024 - 2025
Design ID
#164303

Credits

Image Credits
Photographer: Filippo Bamberghi

Design Details

Unique Properties
The architect designed a prefabricated house that doesn't look like a modular prefabricated one. He couldn't deviate from the original modular design, so he put all the rooms in these spaces. If he put these rooms far from each other, then he can make the void between them to be the social area such as living room, dining room and kitchen. To cover this void, he used this industrial roof that can be cut in curves. For the facade, he created some curved walls and eaves to break the rectangular shape of the rooms.
Inspiration
The architect, his wife and their three children use this weekend house. It is their weekend house in the country. They don't live there, they use it to get away from the city life, to relax after a busy week in the city and for the children to be in deep contact with nature. They chose a house in the city of Ibiuna because it is an easy drive from São Paulo and it has a lot of nature to disconnect from the city.
Challenge
When presented with the idea of The Ibiuna Weekend house, the main issue with its planning and construction was producing a design that felt as part of Rodrigo repertoire while under the limits established by the modular characteristic of Syshaus' manner of production. Rodrigo’s design is constituted as an interaction between the shapes, volumes and the area in which those projects are scaled, producing unique manifestations. These qualities may prove worth on a daily basis, but when paired with a sense of mass production and celerity, they tend to put this relationship to the test. Regardless of the trial ahead, answer where promptly presented.
Realization and Technology
The architect designed the whole structure with the precious help of the Syshaus team that manufactured the house. For the exterior walls, Rodrigo chose a thermo-insulated industrial wall covered with an aluminum plate. The blue curved walls are made of perforated steel plate. The functions are: to break the rectangular shape of the bedroom modules, to give privacy to the rooms and to make the house surprising. The ceiling is made of industrial steel beams. They don't have a formal bathroom, it is actually very integrated with the bedroom. The floor of the living room is wood. The architect’s studio always uses color in our projects. To him, color represents joy.
Operation and Interaction
The Ibiuna Weekend house is set as a tenet and mould to a whole line of Syshaus modular houses. Being delivered across all regions of Brazil in a short span of time, primarily 120 days from the purchase. Furthermore, the manner in which the house is built, with the void between the modular areas, allows customization beyond just the colors of the walls or the aspect of the floor, according to each end user's own preferences and behaviors. Being able to differentiate one model to another, enables a non-standard line of products, enabling different sensations, benefits and necessities to each household.
Project Duration and Location
Location: Ibiuna, SP, Brazil Project duration: 06/2023 - 12/2023
Specifications
Construction area: 180m2 Land area: 20.000m2
Keywords
prefabricated, modular, weekend house, nature

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