Press Release
Bronze A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design Goes to Gave Residence by Michihiro Matsuo
The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Michihiro Matsuo for architecture, building and structure design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Gave Residence by Michihiro Matsuo, designed for Chishima Real Estate Co.,Ltd, has been granted the Bronze 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 scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
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.
More About Gave Residence
Gave is a multi-unit residence with attached garages, completed in Osaka, Japan. Each unit links a private garage directly to a studio or office space, so residents move from the car to the home with ease. The building has a steel structure and two floors. A column-free garage entrance allows large vehicles to enter and leave smoothly. Large slabs of natural Ena stone form the main gate, and the floating second floor works as a canopy. Wide driveways, planting and shared terraces create a quiet and private setting.
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 15 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2017 - 2018 and the 2025 - 2026 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/183358
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/183358
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!183358
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/222614
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
- Gave Residence
- Function
- Residence
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Dodger Blue, Dark Slate Gray, Gray and Light Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Chishima Real Estate Co.,Ltd
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Michihiro Matsuo
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #183358
Credits
- Image Credits
- Michihiro Matsuo, Metaph Architect Associates
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This project involves the creation of a multi-unit housing complex with an attached garage. The question is: how should one live in harmony with their beloved car, a culmination of their passion and aesthetics. Instead of impersonal warehouses or single-function garages, the aim was to create architecture that quietly reflects the status of its inhabitants. It is a mansion imbued with character, distinct from a mere garage, creating a new form of garage house community.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration stems from the critical shortage of secure, high-quality parking for luxury vehicle owners in Osaka. We sought to provide an antithesis to uniform urban development by reimagining the manor house stables of the past for the modern era. The design philosophy centers on the car not just as a tool for mobility, but as a central element of the owner's lifestyle a private retreat where the joy of ownership and a niche community of like-minded enthusiasts intersect.
- Research
- This project serves as a practical study on Low-Density Urban Symbiosis. By intentionally bypassing the maximum floor-area ratio (high-rise potential), the research explores how architecture can mitigate urban congestion while fostering high-quality micro-communities. This model redefines real estate value not by the number of units, but by the specificity of the lifestyle provided, offering a sustainable and culturally rich alternative to the homogenization of modern Japanese cities.
- Challenge
- The most challenging aspect was the decision to abandon commercial land use efficiency (maximizing floor area ratio) and deliberately keep the building low-rise, while simultaneously creating the dignity of a grand mansion. We poured our hearts and souls into harmonizing, down to the millimeter, ensuring that large vehicles could comfortably pass each other, maintaining privacy in the living spaces, and achieving architectural beauty within the limited site area.
- Realization and Technology
- The floating second-floor volume, emphasizing horizontal lines, combines the functionality of a garage canopy with a dynamic exterior. Large slabs of natural Ena stone are used for the main gate, creating a sense of stability reminiscent of massive geological strata. The interior passageways are wide enough to accommodate the turning trajectories of large vehicles, and the planned planting arrangement creates a lush, private village isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city.
- Operation and Interaction
- Residents enter through a high-security electric gate, navigating a wide driveway that feels like a private gallery. Each unit allows a seamless transition from the driver’s seat to a personal studio or office space. The interaction is twofold: a private, intimate dialogue between the owner and their vehicle, and a social interaction facilitated by shared outdoor terraces. This creates a refined social hub where residents with shared passions can connect in a secure, high-status environment.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was completed in Osaka, Japan in Jun 2025
- Specifications
- Site area 1365.25 Size 987.73 Structure Steel Floor 2 Through meticulous structural calculations, a large, column-free garage entrance was secured. This achieves both smooth entry and exit for large vehicles and a sense of architectural openness. Furthermore, a sophisticated security system and electric gate are integrated to strictly protect the privacy of residents. Vehicle maintenance and living comfort are integrated at a high level.
- Keywords
- Garage, Residence, steel, Architecture
