Press Release
Echoes Shinmachi Mixed Use Building by Hyunsoon Park Is Granted the Silver A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Hyunsoon Park honored for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Echoes Shinmachi Mixed Use Building by Hyunsoon Park, designed for Kosugi Real Estate Co., Ltd., has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 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 assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
Regarding Echoes Shinmachi Mixed Use Building
Echoes Shinmachi is a mixed-use building in Kumamoto that reinterprets tradition through contemporary innovation. The design combines reinforced concrete for durability with timber for lightness, establishing a balance of strength and refinement. Locally fired brickwork, laid by skilled craftsmen, reflects cultural heritage while ensuring resilience. Each floor incorporates riverside terraces that encourage seasonal engagement and community life. Through its hybrid structure, material contrasts, and integration of sustainable practice, the project stands as a modern landmark bridging history.
About Hyunsoon Park
Hyunsoon Park is a First-Class Licensed Architect in Japan and the founder of LaundryRice Architects, established in Tokyo in 2023. He studied at Hong-ik University in Korea and Politecnico di Milano in Italy, and gained professional experience at Nikken Sekkei in Japan, building a career that spans diverse cultural and professional contexts. His architectural approach emphasizes connecting people with place, integrating history, culture, and everyday life. He contributes to society by creating spaces that make visible the layers of time and provide opportunities for reflection and belonging.
Award Record
With this recognition, Hyunsoon Park is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
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. The competition 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. Entries typically include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. Awarded architectural projects are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/architecture
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission 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. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated 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. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates 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, the upload of a work and the 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. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/176646
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/176646
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!176646
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/373881
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://laundryrice.com/project/echoes/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Echoes Shinmachi Mixed Use Building
- Function
- Mixed Use Building
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Steel Blue, Midnight Blue, Dark Slate Gray, Dim Gray and Black
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Kosugi Real Estate Co., Ltd.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Hyunsoon Park
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #176646
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photographer Harunori NODA (Architectural Photographer) Ganko-sha, Echoes Shinmachi, 2025.; Photographer Harunori NODA (Architectural Photographer) Ganko-sha, Echoes Shinmachi, 2025. IP / COPYRIGHT / IMAGE / SOUND / VIDEO CREDITS: Photos © Harunori NODA, Architecture © Hyunsoon PARK / LaundryRice Architects
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Echoes Shinmachi is a mixed-use building in Kumamoto that reinterprets tradition through innovation. The design integrates reinforced concrete for permanence and timber for lightness, combining strength with refinement. Locally crafted brickwork connects to cultural heritage, while riverside terraces on every floor invite community interaction. Its hybrid structure, material contrast, and sustainable balance of durability and renewal distinguish it as a contemporary landmark that embodies both resilience and continuity.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration for Echoes Shinmachi came from Kumamoto's historic riverside townscape and the desire to bridge tradition with contemporary life. Motivated by the memory of the city and the resilience of its people, the project reinterprets local materials and craftsmanship through modern construction. Research into hybrid structures and cultural continuity guided the design, creating a building rooted in heritage yet open to the future.
- Research
- Type of research: architectural and cultural investigation. Objective: to integrate Kumamoto's historic riverside townscape with contemporary needs. Methodology: site surveys, archival research, and structural prototyping. Data collection: mapping riverfront use and studying traditional brickwork. Participants: local craftsmen, engineers, and community interviews. Results: a hybrid reinforced concrete (RC)-timber system and river terraces. Insights: architecture can connect heritage, sustainability, and community resilience.
- Challenge
- The greatest challenge was reconciling historical continuity with modern requirements. The project had to respect Kumamoto's heritage while introducing new forms of mixed-use architecture. Externally, strict building codes and structural demands for cantilevered terraces required advanced engineering solutions. Internally, balancing durability with renewal through reinforced concrete (RC) and timber integration was complex. Overcoming these obstacles created a design rooted in tradition yet adaptable for the future.
- Realization and Technology
- Echoes Shinmachi employs a hybrid structural system combining reinforced concrete for the basement and first floor with timber construction on the upper floor. Locally fired brick was laid by skilled craftsmen to achieve durability and warmth, while large glazed openings and cantilevered terraces required advanced structural detailing. A sustainable balance was pursued by integrating long-lasting concrete and renewable timber, ensuring resilience, cultural continuity, and a forward-looking architectural identity.
- Operation and Interaction
- Visitors experience Echoes Shinmachi through a gradual sequence of spaces. From the riverside steps, one descends into a quiet public basement with views of the flowing water. The ground floor opens to the city as retail space, encouraging everyday interaction. On the second floor, offices extend toward the river with terraces that invite gatherings and seasonal discovery. The building performs better by linking city, community, and nature in a continuous flow.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in September 2022 in Kumamoto, Japan, and the design phase was completed in July 2023. Construction commenced in April 2024 and is scheduled to be completed by March 2025. Echoes Shinmachi is located along the Tsuboigawa River in the historic Shinmachi district of Kumamoto.
- Specifications
- Structure: Reinforced concrete and timber hybrid. Floors: B1 plus 2F. Site area: 188.17 sq.m. Building footprint: 126.09 sq.m. Total floor area: 253.63 sq.m. Roof: fluoropolymer-coated aluminum-zinc alloy steel sheet. Exterior walls: brick, exposed reinforced concrete (RC). Interior finishes: brick flooring, brick ceiling. Design period: Sept 2022 to July 2023. Construction period: Apr 2024 to Mar 2025.
- Keywords
- Mixed Use Building, Hybrid Structure, Reinforced Concrete and Timber, Brick Facade, Riverside Architecture, Sustainable Design, Community Space, Kumamoto, Contemporary Japanese Architecture, Cultural Heritage
