Press Release
Michihiro Matsuo Is Honored with the Silver A' Design Award for Eternal Residential House in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Michihiro Matsuo honored for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 20, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category for Eternal Residential House by Michihiro Matsuo, designed for Metaph Architect Associates. The recognition forms part of 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 assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Silver A' Design Award Means
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 Eternal Residential House
Eternal is a residential house built on a sloping site in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The elevation difference is used to place volumes both below and above ground, forming a continuous space from the basement to the upper floors. The basement holds a garage and a hobby room, while the living areas are above the first floor. A large opening on the south side brings in daylight and distant views while limiting sight lines from the street. The structure combines reinforced concrete below ground with large-section laminated timber and metal joints above.
About Michihiro Matsuo
Matsuo michihiro mainly designs villas and houses. and seems to embody the new value created by the relationship between housing and society and design. Pursue design quality while securing earthquake resistance and functionality. In order to realize a low carbon society in Japan, which is a country with many earthquakes, we have selected a wooden axis for the structure, and we are challenging the possibility of making wood of houses and large buildings with earthquake resistant performance secured.
Award Record
This recognition makes Michihiro Matsuo a winner of 14 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2017 - 2018 and the 2024 - 2025 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
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
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/171670
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/171670
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!171670
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/222614
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://00m.in/fKudB
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
- Eternal Residential House
- Function
- Residential House
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Light Gray, Dark Gray, Gray, Lavender and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Metaph Architect Associates
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Michihiro Matsuo
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #171670
Credits
- Image Credits
- Michihiro Matsuo, METAPH ARCHITECT ASSOCIATES
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Taking advantage of the site's elevation difference, this house creates a spatial experience that continues from underground to above ground. The distinctive floating design creates the exterior, and the open view from the south and natural light bring comfort to the residents and provide a special, eternal time. The limitations of the terrain are transformed into a rich space, making this a one-of-a-kind home that is one with nature.
- Inspiration
- This architecture makes the most of the elevation difference of the site, pursuing stability and harmony. Taking advantage of the elevation difference from the road, we placed volume on both the above-ground and basement levels. This allows the building to blend into the terrain, harmonizing with its surroundings while still emanating a distinctive presence. The dynamic spatial composition created by the elevation difference creates a one-of-a-kind architectural beauty.
- Research
- This study examines design methods aimed at achieving both safety and comfort in residential architecture with large windows, and harmonizing with the local environment. Through questionnaire surveys and tours, the aim is to investigate the psychological impact of organic architectural design that gives a sense of connection with nature, and to propose ideal residential architectural design.
- Challenge
- As an urban residential area, it is the realization of a rich life that can be obtained through the openness of the house and ensures the privacy of the residents. It realizes the low carbon demand required for wooden structures and creates a design with a high degree of openness. Furthermore, it is a big challenge to ensure excellent design while ensuring earthquake resistance in Japan, a safe earthquake-resistant country.
- Realization and Technology
- Complex and bold spatial structures make the building unstable. In order to safely construct this open house, thorough structural analysis was carried out, and it was constructed to be strong and safe using large-section laminated timber and metal joints. In Japan, a country prone to earthquakes, where wooden structures are widely used, structural calculations are extremely important and the utmost consideration was given to them.
- Operation and Interaction
- The basement is used as a garage and hobby room. The living space is located above the first floor. It is an open house, but a large opening is placed on the south side to avoid eye contact with passersby, and because it is on high ground, it is also possible to enjoy the view.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project will take place in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, with construction commencing in September 2023 and completed in October 2024.
- Specifications
- Site area 389.80m2, Scale 368.29m2, Reinforced concrete construction underground, 2 floors above ground Wooden construction, planned with a wooden rigid frame structure in mind for low carbonization. Wooden construction often relies on the walls for strength, making it difficult to create large openings, but by carrying out detailed structural calculations it is possible to design large spaces and large openings.
- Keywords
- Villa, House, Residence, Wood, Architecture
