#Sustainability #Japan #architecture #Wood Design #Wakayama, Yamaguchi

Wood Design Awards 2025

The Wood Design Awards, dedicated to recognizing innovative designs that utilize timber to address societal challenges, recently announced its winners for the 2025 edition in the Lifestyle Design category. The award celebrates architectural and product design that emphasizes the value of wood, particularly focusing on initiatives aligned with SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and carbon neutrality. This year's awards showcase two remarkable projects: the Gobō City Hall and the Hōfu City Hall, both of which exemplify how wood can be creatively and functionally integrated into modern architectural design.

Gobō City Hall

Overview

• - Name: Gobō City Hall
• - Location: 350-2 Sone, Gobō City, Wakayama, Japan
• - Client: Gobō City, Wakayama Prefecture
• - Design: Kume Sekkei & Maeda Corporation
• - Construction: Maeda Corporation (Building), Kinden Osaka Branch (HVAC/Water Supply/Electricity), Fujishokai (Elevators)
• - Total Floor Area: Approximately 8,083 m²
• - Stories: 6 above ground
• - Structure: RC/Part S
• - Completion: October 2023

Design Concept

The Gobō City Hall serves as a disaster prevention hub, strategically located just 1 km from the coast. Hazard maps indicate that a tsunami could reach the area within 30 minutes of a major earthquake, necessitating the design to prioritize the safety of citizens. To achieve this, the first floor is dedicated to an entrance hall, storage, and service areas for staff, while the administrative functions are located above the second floor. An intermediate seismic isolation layer has been implemented between the first and second floors, with the first being built from reinforced concrete and the upper levels from steel. The top floor features a hover space to facilitate the rescue of evacuees and the delivery of relief supplies. An outdoor evacuation deck, the