Unit Review

As times change, people's values and lifestyles change. If it does, products should continue to evolve with the times. Reviewing the products around us and adding just a few ideas could lead to a new design like never before, and there was a lot of room for new designs by updating the archive of technologies and products that companies have originally developed and long accumulated to keep up with the times. Some of the award recipients this year demonstrate a new perspective and have produced ingenious products by leveraging their unique technology they have accumulated over the years. GORE-TEX is a long-loved product as a durable, water-proof, and water-repellent fabric. While maintaining these properties, the next-gen GORE-TEX (24G010030) is a PFAS-free material that has been newly developed with an eye on addressing growing environmental issues. The material that is upstream in manufacturing is widely distributed among major outdoor brands and apparel makers downstream, thereby having the potential of bringing a major change to society. It can be regarded as an “Organic Design.” KKOOR (24G010012), a hair elastic made of a special silicon material, is developed by a major manufacturer of rubber products for auto parts. The manufacturer has taken advantage of its expertise to develop this innovative, high-performance hair elastic that is less elastic and harder to snap. The subsequent great leap toward its commercialization is relevant to a design of “Brave Attitude.”

I also felt that products developed for a small consumer segment can not only solve social issues but also win eventual support of many consumers. A case in point is ViXion01 (24G010011), autofocus eyewear. Originally developed for people with amblyopia, this item is also applicable to people who are otherwise weak-sighted, such as people with presbyopia, because of its bifocal feature. Another example is “CARE:SOKU” (24G010036), a sock product that has been designed to prevent claw toe with a scientific approach. Yet another example is “steppi” (24G010039), a knit shoe product that has been developed to reflect input from places of care. Sharing a common feature of comfort, the last two products can reach a wider base of users.

Meanwhile, some entries focused on addressing environmental or social issues, such as products that use regenerated fiber or fabric scraps. The attitude of developing these products is essential in today’s world. Yet entries that are too focused on the cause to have the properties that should be sought after – perfection, originality, and beauty – have unfortunately fail to gain high marks. Products that lack beauty, in particular, are not loved by people and, as a result, are not sustainable. I hope that this issue will be addressed next time. The time should come when everyone naturally seeks duly sustainable “making things” and regards this as a goal to be achieved as a matter of course.

Unit 2 covers personal care products, especially wellness, hygiene, beauty, childcare, welfare, and nursing care products. We had various entries this year, as in other years. As I recall, the quality of care itself and its wide scope are among the common topics at the screening panel.

Care is not something individualistic; it is an inclusive concept that covers relationships with others – caring for, empathizing with, and providing support to them – and, by extension, social responsibility and ethical engagement. Entries that gained high marks this year have been developed with an ultimate view to adding richness to individuals and society and building a more humane and sustainable society.

A case in point is switle BODY (24G020096), a body cleansing instrument for nursing care purposes. Focusing on the onerous task of bathing senior citizens, the product enables caregivers to cleanse the body of a care receiver while in bed. It offers a new option to meet a real need of caregivers. The product is significant in that it allows many people to satisfy, as a matter of course, their normal desire to stay clean every day. It has the potential of alleviating the dearth of caregivers, reducing the burden of elderly family caregivers, and helping to improve the quality of life in an aging society. MUJI’s renewed non-irritating series for delicate skin (24G020060) features not only natural ingredients but also a redesigned life cycle in which the company collects, recycles, and manufactures the product in an integrated manner. The idea of caring the beauty of users and the environment at the same time reminds us of the fact that humans and nature are originally one. The Furusato Genki Project (24G020105) and “Tomorrow I will climb a kaki tree” (24G020104) use natural materials sourced from the provinces. By rediscovering regional resources and circulating their fruits, these projects contribute to revitalizing regional economies.

They are valuable examples of building a new relationship between individuals and society through design and promoting mutual care. The courage and caring minds of individuals support society, which in turn supports them. The organic and interdependent relationship between individuals and society where both care about each other conjures up the image of a sustainable future. This year’s award-winning entries show that design can play an important role there.

Entries in Unit 3 are largely conventional things we have been using for decades, such as pens, shoes, notebooks, educational tools, fishing rods, and tents. This unit may be described as an extremely mature genre in which people engaged in development, design, and manufacturing have long been honing their skills to make their products better and more useful for prospective consumers even bit by bit. In this year’s screening process, I was impressed by many entries. Some products were gradually updated versions. Some were based on materials newly developed. Others featured a thought-out manufacturing concept for sustainability that could be achieved with available resources. Even others were designed from a perspective unseen from us and with the social implications of the products fully in mind. At the same time, some challenging issues came to the surface in the screening process. Take educational tools from abroad, for example. The screening panel found it easy to screen them in terms of appearance and usability. But they found it difficult to understand why the tools were needed in the first place and in what cultural background they were born. This year’s theme is “Brave Attitude, Organic Design.” Delving into the “organic” part requires better understanding of the educational situation of the country from which the product comes. To that end, it will be increasingly necessary for applicants and Judges to better engage with each other for dialogue in the context of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD, an opportunity for thinking about the future. A similar thing may hold true for domestic applicants. Let us be reminded that our daily lives are surrounded by products that are largely designed for the majority of the population to lead a carefree life. On the other hand, we tend to disregard people who are excluded from the majority and marginalized by society. The result may be that there are still things that need to be addressed by design from an inclusive perspective. We designers assume “people” when designing products. Yet what does the term “people” actually refer to? When we say the usability of the product, for whom is the product usable? These questions were discussed in the screening process as another aspect of design. What design approach is needed to ensure that products are made from a multifaceted or different perspective? I continue hoping for designs that look squarely at society and build on past legacies.

In Unit 4, Household Goods, this year, the number of total screened items dropped by dozens, a phenomenon that had not been seen in recent years. This may be because although items subject to screening are primarily household goods as end products, peripheral factors, such as initiatives and business models surrounding the products, were also often subject to screening. Since most household goods belong to a mature category, it is natural for peripherals to become the target of advancement. Recent years have seen a rise in the number of users who value “factors behind the product” as selection criteria. These factors include the place of production, the narrative of product development, and the thought of the manufacturer. Seen from such a broader perspective, the drop in the number of screened items may not be something we have to worry about.

This year, the products that attracted praise in this unit have something in common; i.e., good designs born out of thorough “citizen orientation.” REPITA’s paper towel holder and wet wipe dispenser (24G040216) feature a novel, originally developed suction cup on the bottom. This cup successfully meets two seemingly contradictory aspects of fixation and the ease of removal. It has greatly improved refillability and portability. It frees users from the stress they have long endured unwittingly. It also comes in handy for people with weak muscles or finger strength.

Another product is “Zaru-ya no bon zaru” (24G040198), a stainless flat colander for household use. The manufacturer has developed this product by redesigning its flat colanders for professional use that have long been treasures by cooks. This description gives an impression that the development process was simple. Yet, unlike those for professional use that excel in a single function and are used in combination, colanders for household use need to be versatile, readily storable, and easily maintainable. This product is the result of through research into how colanders are used in household settings. It can serve many purposes, such as straining water and cooking oil, blanching, and letting food cool. The product has thus broadened the potential of colanders.

Although Unit 4 is a mature category, expectations for products in this category will be always high since they are directly linked to people’s lives. The average age of the population is rising. Climate measures and the needs for emergency supplies are being diversified. And healthy life expectancy is getting longer. Given these developments, I hope to see more advancements and new universal designs that seize on the needs of the times from next year onward.

Since their emergence half a century ago, home appliances have undergone advancements with the times to make life easier. As many of these products are owned by high percentages of the population, this sector is described as a mature industry. This does not mean that attempts to improve such products are no longer needed. How are suggestions with an eye on the future of society made now? We did the screening without forgetting such a standpoint.

What I felt overall was the honest and solid commitment of people involved in designing and making the products to improve on existing products. Designers, for example, were involved in the design of the internal structure as well. This may be difficult to see, but I am sure this must be a major challenge.

A case in point is Panasonic refrigerator-freezer NR-C37ES1/C33ES1 series (24G050287). The vertically and horizontally stretched shape with a depth of only 60 cm fits in the surroundings beautifully. This is made possible with a fine and sophisticated combination of resin with steel sheet, a conventional material for refrigerators. Such a shape had long been sought after as an ideal one by refrigerator-freezer designers but had not been materialized. Panasonic materialized it when it fully remodeled its standard model. The passion of the designers prompted the company to fully mobilize its corporate power in order to make this a reality.

A contributing factor is that a few years have passed since the launch of the designated price system, a distribution reform whereby manufacturers designate the prices of their products at retail outlets to stay away from intensifying competition there. A trend is emerging in which the future of sustainable products can be easily imagined.

Interestingly, there are other bold and sincere efforts to broaden product lineups while leveraging companies’ strengths. Mixer SLB-type (24G050248) is a good example. As in last year, we have seen various new products that fit today’s lifestyles, such as Panasonic Home Bakery SD-CB1 (24G050255). Namacrich (24G050254) is an example of the passion of individual designers prompting companies to demonstrate their bravery.

Meanwhile, there are some areas in which we hope to see improvements from entries from next year onward. The award winning products this year include Nursing Bottle Humidifier (24G050267). We hope to see more design solutions that support families with infants, such as products that support breastfeeding or automatic milk formula. Although Japan is already a super-aged society, there must be some aspects that remain unaddressed. We also intend to turn our eyes to appropriate breakthroughs that are free from preconceived ideas or existing frameworks, as well as to flexible ideas that can serve as a bridge between different domains.

In the screening process, we had the question of how the conventional term “home appliances” can be paraphrased today. Award winning products this year embody bravery and resolution in the development process or flexible and animated efforts on the part of the manufacturers. They can be recognized as the providers of home solutions or life solutions. We continue hoping that companies will have a broader perspective and demonstrate bravery and carry out dynamic activities in the development process.

The underlying trend in cameras and audio equipment for the past few years seems to be that dramatic changes rarely happen to the external shape, while it holds meticulous functionality within and is frequently updated. Given the trend, the screening was challenging. And yet, some great products gave a glimpse of what will happen to this category. Two major directions came to the surface.

One is the ESTHETICS of “machines that are attractive to operate.” Audio recorders, with physical buttons to record, stop, and play – as well as a turntable that rotates during playback and other moving parts – on the hardware have freshly demonstrated their presence of devices with feedback and the joy of touching.

The underling concept in the development of digital devices today seems to be that hardware is a mere container and that all functions are relegated to software. Take electronic equipment, for example. A flat board is usually used for its operation panel. This choice is necessary in a market where versatility and cost-consciousness matter. But is HUMANITY taking center stage there?

If a few years, many “feel” aspects that are complex but attractive to humans will be incorporated into touches and swipes on the screen. Eventually mere ideas in the head will be able to operate electronic devices. Aren’t we forgoing the joy of touching with our hands? Nostalgia aside, we have learned a great deal from the products with physical buttons.

Another major direction is represented by the existence of something that conveys the philosophy of “remaining unchanged.” This philosophy resonates with the perspective of some users who openly appreciate the value of “remaining unchanged” and welcome necessary changes only. It even wins the trust of these users. This process itself represents design. It offers an important perspective in a world of design that requires constant changes.

Both of these two directions manifest themselves in designs that value the agency of humans. These options were discussed on the premise of comfortable relationship between equipment and humans, not based on the significance of digital and analogue, the mutual exclusiveness between hardware and software, or the differentiation from other products.

Unit 7 covers ICT equipment, including personal computers, smartphones, peripherals, and printing devices. The development of these information products entails huge investment. Accordingly, most of the products are solidly designed by in-house designers at major companies and product designers at external design offices. They are characterized by their high-level design.

For this reason, the jury of this unit has evaluated the entries by adding marks, rather than by deducting marks after identifying weaknesses. It has tried to infer from the exhibits and entry documents the attitude and spirit of doing something new through design to make society better.

What the jury felt after screening all entries in Unit 7 this year was the emerging movement to challenge the current trend of making products serve more functions, perform more efficiently, and look more luxurious. This movement aims to bravely stop to rethink the trend and seek what is really needed from scratch.

The entries that reflect this movement include ASUS’s dual display laptop “Zenbook Duo (2024)” (24G070449), a BEST 100 winner in Unit 7; SHARP’s smartphone “AQUOS R9” (24G070405); Japan Digital Laboratory’s desktop personal computer for accountancy “JDL WORK 14” (24G070478); and Nothing Technology’s “CMF by Nothing Product Range” (24G070401); as well as “Chikaku” (24G070536), an online communication service by chikaku Inc. and NTT Docomo, Inc. Although their targets of design differ, these award recipients share the common attitude of questioning the existing development attitude, taking a fresh look at real, immediate issues, and sincerely exploring the ideals from scratch.

Technological development is crucial for information equipment. It is about time we stopped to consider how we should lead such technology to our happiness and a better environment we live in.

Manufacturing and medical care constitute a domain that plays an important role in the areas of sustainable society development, social welfare, technological innovation, and economic infrastructure. Let me introduce some of the entries this year that involve developmental initiatives that lead the times or have the potential to do so.

Semiconductors are crucial electronic parts that support the technological basis in all industries. They are in growing demand and in short supply worldwide. While experiencing a decline in competitiveness as the producer of semiconductors, Japan maintains its strengths in materials and equipment for manufacturing. Under these circumstances, two entries have attracted high marks. One is a new technology called nanoimprint (24G080574), by which circuits are formed by pressing a mold with a circuit pattern onto the resist like a stamp. It allows for higher resolution patterns at low cost. Another entry is an apparatus for manufacturing thin films on the wafer surface (24G080575). It has adopted a hexagonal prism modular construction to deal with various materials. The apparatus is of a high degree of perfection. Both entries have the potential of helping strengthen industrial competitiveness.

We felt great potential for materials that transform light, heat, and electricity in relation to the energy problem and global warming, two of the major social issues today. One such material converts infrared rays to heat (24G080642). Its applications include not only the use of heat but also thermal insulation. Another material converts light to electricity with wider applications when used for transparent glass (24G080643). The third material radiates heat to outer space through the atmospheric window by taking advantage of the principle of radiative cooling (24G080641). All these materials have great potential, as they transform energy without the need for additional energy.

In the category of medical equipment, the development of MRI that does not use liquid helium (24G080615) was impressive. Helium resources in the world are in limited supply. The fact that helium is not produced in Japan underscores the importance of this development initiative in terms of achieving sustainability and reducing risks associated with resource supply. The advanced technology that creates an ultra-low temperature environment has the potential of revitalizing new industries as a foundation for various technological innovations to come.

What these development initiatives have in common is that they have achieved technological innovations for solving problems and attaining targets by taking novel approaches, rather than building on existing ones. Such endeavor requires the courage of breaking away from fixed ideas, making a shift in thinking, and making a foray into an unknown world without worrying about possible failure. This will pave a new way.

As a screening unit for housing fixtures, Unit 9 covers wet areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, and toilets, as well as lighting appliances, air conditioners, building materials, windows, doors and their accessories, and exteriors. Some entries in this unit are products that stand alone. Others are often members for houses, such as building materials. These products vary in level according to the price range of housing. In the screening process, the jury gives high marks to products that excel in performance and design compared with existing ones – as well as to products of excellence that feature novel functions, materials, or designs – in order to encourage companies that manufacture them. The jury also offers advice for better future of housing fixtures.

Perhaps because products in this screening unit are often functional members for comfortable living, product performance tends to be prioritized, making it difficult to enhance the external appearance. Still, some of the entries this year include products that have sought after both beauty and performance. On such entry is a window frame for the wealthy (24G090681).

The extremely slim edge material allows for an overwhelmingly wide view. When the windows are closed, they are aligned in a single line to uncover the rail in a pursuit of ultimate beauty. The product is in a fairly high price range, but it comes with long-term maintenance services. Often, a beautiful window is made with finishing carpentry. This entry has won the GOOD DESIGN AWARD not because of such carpentry but because it guarantees high levels of functionality and appearance. The product is expensive at the moment but might become affordable in the future. The courage and effort of this company deserve praise.

As a trend this year, the entries include many fixtures that enhance water performance. One such entry is a fixture developed in collaboration between a beverage company and a fixture supplier to supply cold mineral water (24G090708). While water-purifying faucets are the norm, this particular faucet is a one step ahead of the times. Many faucets that use an ultra-fine bubble generator made their entry as well. Fixtures that utilize natural energy include outdoor lighting appliances, roll screens, and wave-shaped roof tiles, demonstrating a new movement in this category. Among the less noticeable fittings are a soft-close hinge for folding doors (24G090689) and a one-touch fastener for piping (24G090691). These products represent a good design that give a glimpse of the companies’ sincere dedication to research.

Unit 10 covers furniture as well as equipment and facilities for offices and public spaces. These products range from furniture, which is close to our daily lives, to products in different categories, including massive systems associated with carbon neutrality, which are something individual citizens are most unlikely to see in their lifetime.

The pandemic had a tremendous impact on the shape of homeworking, the staying-at-home practice, teleworking, the living environment, and the office. Now the post-pandemic era is coming to a close. Of all the units, this unit may have been most affected by the pandemic in those few years. In screening the entries this year, however, I felt that the pandemic era had been “cut off” and that the periods before and after it had been joined together. I felt even calmness on the part of the entrants as if there had been no such things as the pandemic.

There are some furniture products that have continued to be produced for decades or even centuries without fading. They have been undergoing slow changes as if in step with the advancement of humans. There are others that are expected to follow a similar path although they have a shorter history.

In the category of equipment, facilities, and building materials for public spaces, the judges earnestly exchanged views on entries that demonstrate excellent features or novel technologies but have something to be desired in terms of appearance. One view maintained that taking pains to erase the presence or even signs of the object and thus helping creating a rich space is also an act of good design. I was reminded anew that such an act is behind a casual but comfortable space.

It is no easy task to unify screening criteria for all these various products. Reasonable decisions should be made for each category. It is essential to ascertain whether the product will be loved for a long time, if not universally, without resorting only to intuition. In short, accurate assessment of its intrinsic value is crucial.

Overall, I felt that the screening process for this unit is an opportunity to study the relationship between people, things, space, and even time, and to evaluate products from multiple angles. The power of design is vital for the issue of how to chart the future. Many entries harbored such potential and I felt relieved.

Nowadays, the existential value of electric vehicles (EVs) is debated from various angles. Even under the circumstances, we received many solutions, including those from abroad, on land mobility that uses electricity as the power source, be it automobiles, motorcycles, or bicycles. These included peripheral products, such as tires exclusively for EVs and charging equipment. I got the impression that the market is becoming increasingly mature. Entry from other industries and the rise of startups and small businesses were ubiquitous. We received solutions for platform type vehicles with an eye on automatic driving. These facts gave me the impression that the mobility industry is expanding even further.

Japan is facing the 2024 problem in the logistics industry – a lack of labor resulting from a new cap on overtime work hours for truck drivers. Accordingly, we received many solutions for logistics systems, warehouse systems, and automatic guided vehicles (AGVs), among others. Many entries demonstrated the bravery to offer new solutions to address an industrial structure that is difficult to change or be changed, as well as the stance of rectifying the situation in cooperative alignment with external players. These represents the move in line with this year’s theme of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD. My impression was that many persuasive solutions were offered. These included systems designed to make logistics more efficient by making better use of transit points rather than using single vehicles from the point of departure all the way to the destination. Among other solutions were initiatives to save labor through integration between warehouse and AGVs.

Entries on railways and shipping included many solutions that offer the new value of travel, probably due in part to a growing number of tourists from abroad. Among these were a railway solution that covered not only cars and station facilities but also cooperation with local communities along the line, as well as a project to develop a sightseeing boat that involved the local community from its early stages. I felt that such moves to create new value in tandem with local communities continued to be brisk.

Mobility is a sector where it takes relatively a long time to carry out a project from the conception and planning stages to the social implementation of products or services. The pandemic has made us rethink what the flows of people and things should look like. Efforts to give serious thought to this issue and provide alternative solutions are beginning to bear solid fruits. This is what I felt in the screening process this year.

Unit 12 mainly covers detached houses and small-sized housing complexes. The entries are diverse. They include houses provided by house builders, those designed and constructed by housing contractors, those designed by design offices, such small-sized housing complexes as housing for the elderly and rental housing, and overseas housing, for which entries have been increasing in number year by year, as well as housing construction materials. The jury focused on whether the entries offer a solution to make life and society better in their respective fields.

Among the BEST 100 winners, HACHIKURi HOUSE (24G120995) is a shared house built by the mother of a girl with disabilities. The aim is to help her daughter to live with her fellows in the local community. The house has a shared café on the first floor where people in the community gather. This attractive place is supposed to serve as a hub for building relationships in the community. This is a wonderful project made possible by the bravery of the mother alone without resorting to any support program. My hope is that there will be more activities like this in society so that people with disabilities can live in communities as a matter of course.

The Tsuruoka House (24G120969) is a project aimed at supporting coexistence between human and nature, including birds and insects. The incorporation of soil and vegetation into the building has given rise to the circulation of water and living things around the building, thereby offering a lifestyle of living with nature. The earth vaults that support a water channel have design appeal. The Kamakura Apartment (24G120982) is located in the ancient city of Kamakura. The building is surrounded by wire screens made of copper, a material associated with Kamakura. The screens display over-time change, a feature unusual for rental housing. The semi-external space surrounded by the screens enriches the tenants’ lives. Moriyama Village (24G120997) is a project to build a new “village” in cooperation with local community members by using locally available wood. The project offers a new way of engagement by which people other than real “villagers” can be involved in the community as digital “villagers.” REDO JIMBOCHO (24G120996) offers a means by which structures constructed based on old earthquake resistance standards can play a role in building a new community. All these entries in the BEST 100 give a hint of what architecture can do to improve local communities.

Based on this year’s screen theme “Brave Attitude, Organic Design,” we, the jury, for Unit 13 on medium- to large-sized housing complexes, have added two perspectives for screening: “endeavor to create new value” and “consideration for and contribution to local communities (particularly architecture that contributes not only within the site but also widely to the local community).” We gave special praise to the entries that had bravely tried a new approach despite the difficulty to change or challenge the convention because of the sheer size of housing complexes, as well as to the entries that will have far-reaching implications for local communities.

Among these entries, we paid special attention to “Machinohanare” (24G131093) and “Tenjincho Place” (24G131092). Both entries have successfully realized a housing complex that offers the opportunity for the residents to build loose relationships among themselves without providing common space for the community. Machinohanare has blurred the border between the housing and the adjacent streets by minimizing the housing units to the limit and improving access to the ground level. Tenjincho Place is a high-rise building in which a row of long and narrow dwelling units on each floor surrounds the courtyard. The building makes for a new relationship between the residents, with the courtyard allowing them to get a sense of the lives of other residents. Both entries offer a comfortable distance, physical or otherwise, between people and between spaces to meet the needs of the times, suggesting what a new community should look like.

Other entries offered new values. These included an apartment house designed for tenants to try the lifestyles of their liking (the Campus Flats Togoshi [24G131084]), a project that tried to inherit the memory of the site (Chidori Terrace [24G131030], Shinto Shrine Kurotsuru Inari-jinjya + As-heim Otachuou [24G131070]), and a project to build a mechanism whereby the residents work on greenery conservation for themselves (GREEN AGENDA for BRANZ [24G131091]). It is important that projects like these will go beyond the conceptual level and lead to the richness of sustainable life. To this end, it may be necessary to stand with dwellers and support them over the long term.

We have received various entries like these that suggest that housing complexes still have room for new attempts. This fact represents a big step forward toward the next era. These are only discrete examples. Yet I hope that they will be shared with many businesses and designers through the GOOD DESIGN AWARD and that these examples will prompt them to rethink the richness of life and its values.

A judge in the last year’s screening said that the average level of this year’s entries is higher than last year’s. My unfounded theory is this. Around 2019, many projects were discontinued due to the pandemic, which also made new projects difficult. Despite many hurdles, some projects were launched with strong commitment and many of them completed this year, resulting in the entry of many high-quality works.

The award winners in this unit can be largely divided into two types. One is of outstanding or original design. The other is of design that is not so strong but will hopefully be imitated elsewhere and become popular eventually. The former can be praised by architecture awards as well, but the latter may be an evaluation criterion unique to the GOOD DESIGN AWARD. Of course, the entries that have both qualities gained especially high marks.

Let me share some trends I noticed in the screening process.

Offices and places of work: In the post-pandemic era, emphasis is placed on terracing and natural ventilation, as well as the facilitation of communications among the employees, even at tenant offices. The labor shortage is conspicuous especially in the provinces. Some entries have offered an attractive office environment to improve employee satisfaction and even put up offices in the provinces to connect with local communities.

Accommodations: The pandemic made large investment difficult. Glamping facilities built on existing facilities made up a large share of the entries until last year. This year, many projects involved larger investment and put more effort into design.

Renovation: Streets in Japan have largely developed by the scrap-and-build method. Yet many initiatives embrace existing streets, add adjustments to them where appropriate, and pass them on to the next era. That has given me a good impression. Some projects renovate cultural properties or other buildings of historical value after careful investigation. Others, which may be less noticeable, transform ordinary buildings into wonderful places by adding brilliant adjustments.

Wooden architecture: Wood has been successfully used for high-rise wooden buildings with an authorized construction method and for large-scale wooden buildings with the use of large cross-section laminated timber or CLT. Many such construction methods have been too costly to be readily applicable. Some entries this year have succeeded in developing wooden buildings along streets or medium-scale wooden structures with an existing construction method. These entries have been praised for their versatility and low cost.

We would like to express our respect and gratitude for all the applicants this year for their passionate entries. Going forward, we welcome more designs that have the potential to change the future for the better.

Unit 15 covers a wide range of domains, including public architecture, civil engineering, and landscaping. In the screening process, the whole jury reviewed almost all entries carefully despite time constraints. The jury gained some important takeaways from the designs for the entries. This was my third year as a juror for this unit. Last year, the expression “resolute participation” remained vividly in my mind. This year, I felt I was on a more advanced side, and the expression “the power to create a space, the power to use it” came to mind.

Let me share some of the entries from such a perspective. Onikuru in Ibaraki, Osaka (24G151286) does not regard local citizens as mere users. Rather, the facility tries to make them more like participants with agency by organizing many workshops for them. Rather than imposing “don’ts” as to how this public space is used, the facility shares the idea on to what extent the space may be used. Fukagawa Enmichi (24G151229) is a place for multi-generational symbiosis with day services at its center. The building houses a private library on the first floor on the side widely opened to the street, making it easy to enter and to care for senior citizens. Living Loop in Ikebukuro (24G151250) and the Babakawa River in Maebashi (24G151259) have succeeded in making public spaces more accessible to the public in their daily lives by relaxing restrictions on streets and rivers and inviting intervention by the private sector. The judges were particularly surprised by CACP in Sichuan Province, China (24G151253). This project has transformed an abandoned bicycle shed – a small void in the urban environment – into a lively public space. This was done independently by Team CACP, an entity that is neither a corporate nor a government organization. The idea was to help revitalize a community that was declining due to the failure of a much-invested development project.

Despite differences in sector or scale, these projects have something in common: a lack of a conventional master plan. Another common feature is that authorities responded flexibly to the loose visions of the actors. To put it more simply, the feelings of individuals are conspicuous, which can be described as the impulse to start small or try to do what they can do. The fact remains, however, that the accumulation of such attempts has put public space in focus and even solved some of the social issues as a result. This gives hope to this unit, which is concerned with what public space should look like. Finally, let me add one thing. Such endeavors also mean that enormous amounts of work and time are required of the designers and architects involved, as they also need to serve as go-between. In our discussions, the term “attitude” with regard to their commitment to the projects impressed me greatly.

Unit 16 has a large scope. It covers TV programs, websites, exhibitions, packages, and even branding, which involves all of these. In other words, it targets all media that serve as a point of contact with users and citizens. For this every reason, entries in this unit unmistakably reflects media as points of contact with users and citizens that change with the times, and their roles.

In screening the entries this year, I felt such media are at a crossroads.

In website design, for example, various kinds of potentials have been explored in such areas as brand differentiation, the raising of expectations, and interaction with customers. The process of convenience improvement and standardization with focus on accessibility, as represented by the Digital Agency Design System (24G161345), may be a consequence of decades of trial and error in website design.

Meanwhile, some entries have tried to go beyond the conventional roles of legacy media.
PLUG Magazine (24G161347) serves as an important hub for the emergence of communication between various clusters, although it is not only one of the magazine media – which have been faced with an uphill battle in recently years – but also a regional magazine. Brand Purpose Business Card (24G161315) embodies the activity aimed at promoting the corporate purpose of companies throughout the project. The real-life business card, which could be replaced by online ones, skillfully capitalizes on its usability as a physical card.
This and other activities have been aimed at not only approaching the market but also increasing organizational commitment, an emerging issue in recent years. The success of these projects indicates that if a business is to maintain its sustainability, it must scrutinize its significance in its business activity from a holistic standpoint that also encompasses social activity.

At any rate, myopic design activity that focuses on appearance or brand image building is now under scrutiny. The encounter with designs that convey and communicate the message of say, decades-old companies, in a few seconds based on its uninterrupted corporate and business activities is a real pleasure in this unit. I am convinced that such designs can serve as a bridgehead for shaping the future for decades to come.

Every year, Unit 17 receives many entries that try to solve problems we encounter in our daily lives or at work with the help of systems and services. Although this trend has continued, this year has also seen many excellent entries that try to solve social issues or create new value by designing access to information in domains more adjacent to social infrastructure.

From this standpoint, I must first take up entries that have created new means of access to information related to natural and social capital that supports our sustainable lifestyles. YAMAP’s Watershed Map (24G171381) allows users to visually understand the areas where they live in the wider context of watershed. It offers a new perspective on flood control. WOOMS (24G171440) is a service that Odakyu Electric Railway offers beyond the areas along its railway lines to manage real-time and optimize waste collection, a sector where computerization has been slow.

I was also impressed by efforts to create new value by designing limited access from the outside to services that support social infrastructure – services that have been confined to local governments and businesses. SonicWeb-DX (24G171435) has achieved efficient management of local infrastructure by automatically linking information from local citizens with closed systems of local governments. It is a good example of civic tech. STAR SPHERE (24G171377) has created new value of experience by opening to the general public the opportunity to take pictures from outer space via artificial satellites.

Given huge amounts of information available on the Internet and growing Internet-related issues, such as fake news and addiction to social media, some entries have created designs that challenge the current practice of accessing personal information. Mimimi (24G171359), a news app offered by the Chugoku Shimbun, features an excellent service design. The app provides young people who rarely read news with quick and efficient access to information and allows them to delve into more detailed information if they wish. “one sec” (24G171441) is an app that offers effective tool for maintaining mental health by designing “appropriate friction” when accessing to social media or apps to prevent their excessive use.

As all aspects of our daily lives are computerized and interlinked, many proposed designs take a second look at the essence of interaction between humans and information and try to update social rules and norms and even our values. The screening process this year gave me the impression that such designs form a future trend.

Unit 18 “Initiative and Activity for Regional” attracts applicants who have a high-level sense of ownership. Their attitude to seriously engage with their immediate issues deeply moves the jury every year.
This year, the jury screened the entries in this unit with the theme “Brave Attitude, Organic Design” in mind. Many of their designs aimed to create flexible and diverse relationships by taking a brave step forward. In view of this theme, I describe noteworthy trends this year from two standpoints.

1) Tenacity to deal with issues
What has attracted special attention of the jury among the subject entries this year are entries that were made when their long-term projects with a time span of say, five or ten years, have produced remarkable outcomes.
In this unit, initiatives that take prompt action to tackle pressing issues are also evaluated highly. The reality is, however, that there are no such things as “useful magic” for solving complex local issues. Solving them often takes time. It also takes passion and vision on the part of the key persons, two elements that should drive many people to take actions. To sustain such actions, it is vital to provide an economic mechanism and design that support them. The jury has carefully screened the entries in light of this point as well.
A project that narrowly missed an award in the past has finally won handsomely this time. We the judges are very pleased with such repeated entries, as we value continuity from the past in screening all entries.

2) Initiatives that create diverse relationships
In the screening process, the judges had mixed opinions about several projects. Most judges agreed that they are remarkable projects but some maintained that they should be entered again when they begin to produce more positive outcomes.
When we say “outcomes,” they include not only those originally aimed for but also derivative outcomes. We give extremely high marks to initiatives in which a single project develops like a chain reaction and in a spiral manner while involving diverse people and different activities. Such initiatives to create relationships for solving local issues; that is, an ecosystem, deserve our continued and increased attention.
Future-oriented projects of a problem-setting type attracted our attention as well. These included initiatives to inherit a cultural heritage that is being lost. Among other examples were initiatives in which a local community as a whole supports opportunities for students to take on challenges. Some such initiatives this year did not offer answers or even present problems. This contrasted sharply with the conventional framework in which adults presented problems, children responded to them, and adults showed answers to them. Now that we have experienced the unexpected pandemic, this may be an ideal design.

A step taken by someone has an unexpected impact on others and eventually creates happiness for someone else. For this very reason, does the GOOD DESIGN AWARD exist. This is what I felt strongly this year.

Unit 19 focuses on designs for “Initiative and Activity for the General Public.” I have an impression that this category is spilling over into other units more and more every year. In other words, cases in which a product, service, or structure is inseparable from an initiative or activity are increasingly seen in other units as well. Although we welcome this trend, it may be vexing applicants. I feel that the structure of this award needs some sort-out. This is a general situation. I would like to point out three noteworthy trends that were identified in the screening process this year.

First, many projects focus on people who have been left out in conventional social structures or support frameworks. These include the Resilience Playground Project (24G191506), which offers “play” for children with severe mental or physical disabilities and children in need of medical care; and “Kokotomo hiroba for SME widows, Tsugunowa for SME wives, Business Succession Station” (24G191525), which supports women who had to take over companies under unexpected circumstances. I imagine that it took a lot of courage to commercialize these projects, as they focus on special beneficiaries. The projects have somehow managed to realize such an “organic” transformation.

The second trend is represented by activities that go across different domains to create new connections. These activities include initiatives in the area of welfare for the elderly, such as “Go-tore” (24G191508), which encourages activities by senior citizens while connecting long-term care, public transportation, and local resources. Among other initiatives is “Geological Design” (24G191505), a project that combines manufacturing that generates no waste in automobile production with the process of making fellows. These initiatives tackle social issues not by themselves but by soliciting support from others in different domains.

The third trend is represented by activities to provide places to belong. These activities include “KAKUREGA: An Online Hideaway for Those Finding Life Challenging, Offering a Safe Space to Heal” (24G191530), a metaverse created as part of efforts to prevent suicide; and “Kodomo-otona Kichi Irotoridori” (24G191522), which provides opportunities for various generations to enjoy after-school hours. I felt that efforts have been made to offer different kinds of places to belong as a safety net to fill the void left by conventional educational and social systems.

Apart from these trends, projects that provide care for caregivers are increasing in number. As social issues become complex and multi-layered, the issues that are being addressed, targets, and relationships behind them become more complex and subtle. This is what I felt deeply this year. In that sense, the jury for this unit had to have the determination to thoroughly read the entry documents. My takeaway from this process is that it is more and more important for applicants to carefully explain the hidden processes and relationships involved.