Press Release
Bronze A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Goes to Kunamiterrace Sunset Cafe and Small Gallery by Tomohiro Araki
The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Tomohiro Araki for architecture, building and structure design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category for Kunamiterrace Sunset Cafe and Small Gallery by Tomohiro Araki, designed for Replus Co.,Ltd. The recognition forms part of 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 evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Bronze A' Design Award
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
About Kunamiterrace Sunset Cafe and Small Gallery
Kunamiterrace Sunset is a permanent beach house in Iwami Town, in the north of Tottori Prefecture, Japan, next to a geopark national park. The two-story wooden building holds a cafe with sunset views and a small gallery for solo exhibitions by local artists. The exterior is burnt cedar, the roof is galvalume steel sheet and the interior is structural plywood, so the building matches the local streetscape. A high reinforced concrete base protects the structure from strong northerly winds. Terrace seating is limited to keep the scale modest.
Award Record
With this recognition, Tomohiro Araki is a winner of 3 A' Design Awards. The awards span the editions from 2023 - 2024 to 2025 - 2026 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. 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/173583
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/173583
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!173583
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/347588
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://re-pl.us/
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
- Kunamiterrace Sunset Cafe and Small Gallery
- Function
- Cafe and Small Gallery
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Teal, Dark Slate Gray, Saddle Brown, Steel Blue and Dark Cyan
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Replus Co.,Ltd
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Tomohiro Araki
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #173583
Credits
- Image Credits
- Photo by Tomonao Nagasaka
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- I was commissioned to build a permanent beach house near a national park (geopark) in this area. In front of the house is a town-managed outdoor barbecue area that attracts more than 2,000 visitors annually. The shallow beach with big waves is a popular spot for surfers. However, while there were once dozens of guesthouses, only a few remain today, the town's population is declining, and aging is a serious problem. This area is designated as a stop for JR West's luxury tourist train (Zuife), but there are few accommodations, and I felt that the tourist resources were not being fully utilized.
- Inspiration
- This permanent beach house is located in Iwami Town, the northernmost point of Tottori Prefecture, adjacent to the San'inkai Bay Geopark National Park. It features a sunset cafe where you can enjoy stunning sunsets from its prime location, as well as a small gallery hosting solo exhibitions by local artists. This facility offers a space where you can experience an extraordinary world while soothing your soul with the sound of the waves.
- Research
- My approach is to simplify everything by removing unnecessary elements from existing ones. Instead of adding something, I use an almost infinite number of formulas and styles. Adding elements or decorations to further emphasize character. When applied to lifestyle, it's not about filling and decorating your home with furniture and other things. Rather, it's about placing truly good and important things where they belong. Making it clearer what's important and what needs to be done. The term "minimalism" is frequently heard these days. However, I believe this is not a fleeting trend. But it is a concept that is easy to understand in many modern times.
- Challenge
- A new tourist attraction has opened in Higashihama. I was commissioned to design it last year, and it took me about a year and a few months to create a building suitable for this land. It was a very intense period, both enjoyable and painful. What kind of building is truly suitable for this land? It was a good opportunity to reconsider the meaning of building, and it's also my first project since turning 50. I asked myself what kind of building would be loved by the local people and cherished for a long time. I completed the construction while asking myself this question. The first customers came to the shop before it was even finished. It was a pair of swallows. Nature (animals) knows.
- Realization and Technology
- Community-friendly design > Design that uses natural materials and is considerate of the streetscape. Interior: Structural plywood Exterior: Burnt cedar Roof: Galvalume steel sheet (original sheet) This area is directly exposed to strong northerly winds, but a dynamic design is provided by a single bay protruding from the exterior wall. This structure is achieved by using the roof itself as a horizontal plane without using beams on the second floor. The RC structure supporting the second-floor balcony prevents deterioration from the northerly winds, fixes the structure, and completes the design of the north facade.
- Project Duration and Location
- 2024/10/1~2025/5/3 IWAMI TOTTORI JAPAN
- Specifications
- Building Data > Location: 604-5 Rikuchi, Iwami-cho, Tottori Prefecture Main Use: Shop (Permanent beach house and gallery) Completion Date: May 3, 2025 Size: Site area: 872.31 m2, Building area: 185.35 m2, 2-story wooden building
