Tokyo, Japan – The Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP) announced that the Good Design Grand Award for 2023 has been awarded to the “Long house with an engawa”, a Senior Daycare Center.

The Good Design Grand Award is the highest award given to one of the winners of the annual Good Design Awards. Since 1980, the Good Design Grand Award has produced various famous designs as it symbolises today’s society and a suitable symbol of what design can do in the future.

“Long house with an engawa” was selected from among 1,548 entries for the Good Design Award 2023 by a vote of the jury members and award winners.

Design Summary

This project is a welfare facility designed to care for the elderly. The design is like Japanese traditional porch "Engawa" where locals can drop in casually. It’s also a community base for welfare that is a place for the elderly, children, and locals to help each other in times of trouble.

Key design points

• A day service facility that is not dependent on the system, but a community-based day service facility that fosters mutual support and coexistence among local society and individuals.
• The facility is designed as an architectural embodiment of a small town, with a café, a temple lodging, a day service, and a public bath, where the place open to everyone.
• The Engawa that connects the facilities to the community with various accesses. The Engawa where everyone can spend time together. The Engawa for each individual to have a good time.

Jury’s Evaluations

It is a place where people can help each other in the community. It’s unconventional day-care service. It’s operated as a day-care facility, but welcomes everyone from babies to the elderly, which is so wonderful. Perhaps there are supporters who agree with the community vision and a support system where people can help each other. The elderly are not only supported, but watch over children. Children help the adults. Everyone helps each other. It reminds us of old times. The long engawa-style deck and wide space under the roof embody the concept beautifully and cause the actual situation. It seems that he has conducted workshops on garden building and has been working hard to create a place of trust. Its steady approach is also highly commendable.

Good Design Award winners’ comments

In an age when efficiency and convenience are demanded in various aspects, we created this facility because we believe that the elderly need a place where they can live with dignity as human beings. We believe that the happiness for those elderly often comes from daily communication with children and people of various generations. Through this facility, we are hoping to bring back the views of a society where not only the elderly but also everyone can live happily by communicating with each other which are being lost in today’s society. (Hidekazu Ishii / President, ALL FOR ONE Co., Ltd.)

2023 Good Design Grand Award (Prime Minister’s award)
Senior Daycare Center, Long house with an engawa

Winner: ALL FOR ONE Co., Ltd. + KENTARO YAMAZAKI DESIGNWORKSHOP Co., Ltd.

Producer: Akane Miyamoto, wacca + Yuichi Asa, nano-associates

Designer: KENTARO YAMAZAKI ,YAMAZAKI KENTARO DESIGN WORKSHOP Co., Ltd. + Shuji Tada Structural Design Office + Inada Landscape Design Office + BONBORI Lighting Architect & Associates, Inc.

Location: Yachiyo City, Chiba Prefecture

Site Area: 1,585.85 square metres

Gross Floor Area: 424.24 square metres

Floor Area: 493.30 square metres

Wooden/Basement: 1st floor