The MUSE DESIGN AWARDS were established in New York to honor creative and design professionals and is a well-known and well-recognized competition that is open globally.
It is organized by the International Awards Associate (IAA), which aims to promote excellence in various creative and design industries by providing a forum for professionals to compete against their peers.
The IAA maintains impartiality by having a review committee composed of industry professionals as well as by having an established evaluation criteria based on industry standards.
The mission of the judges is to seek out companies and individuals with exceptional talent that will become new benchmarks in their respective industries.
In 2022, more than 6,000 entries were received from all over the world, among which “Candeo Hotels Kyoto Karasuma Rokkaku” and “Ningbo Hankyu” designed by GARDE were awarded GOLD and “Beijing Xidan Joycity 2F Jewelry Theme Zone” was awarded SILVER.
■Features of each property…
The” Candeo Hotels Kyoto Karasuma Rokkaku” preserved and restored a valuable machiya (townhouse). It was the former Banke Residence, a tangible cultural property registered by the city of Kyoto. It does not simply make the old new, beautiful, and easy to use; but also, further optimizes the “completed design” (the optimal solution) at a high level.
“Ningbo Hankyu” was designed to be an oasis where people can gather and spend time comfortably, and to transmit Japanese elements, not simply expressing traditional Japanese culture as it is, but sublimating it into a modern design.
The “Beijin Xidan JoyCity 2F Jewelry Theme Zone” was designed as a “BrandMix” space with a casual café space, rather than a classical space with a heavy emphasis on luxury like a conventional jewelry store.
We believe that winning the “MUSE DESIGN AWARDS 2022” serves as proof that GARDE’s originality, ingenuity, and thoroughness in design creation have been recognized around the world.
GARDE enters numerous national and international awards each year with the goal of spreading the word about the excellence of its space and design, even after the property design is completed.
The iF DESIGN AWARD, sponsored by the Germany-based International Forum Design (Industrial Design Association), was established in 1953 and is well-known worldwide.
In 2022, more than 10,000 entries were received from over 60 countries, and 132 renowned design experts from over 20 countries selected outstanding designs based on the criteria of “IDEA,” “FORM,” “FUNCTION,” “DIFFERENTIATION,” and “IMPACT” to discover the next rising stars in the design world.
The new workplace for VMware Japan, designed by GARDE, was awarded the iF DESIGN AWARD 2022.
The concept of the space design is simple and understated yet projects future technology. The design is inspired by a unique Japanese concept of uramasari, which has an inner richness, expression, and color that is hidden by a humble and unassuming exterior.
The concept is expressed by making the visitor area subtle and harmonious while the staff area is colorful and expressive.
This focus on flexibility and collaboration serves a role in inspiring and facilitating new ways of working.
GARDE enters numerous national and international awards each year with the goal of inspiring others with the excellence of our space and design well after the design is completed.
The International Design Awards (IDA) was established in 2007 to discover, recognize, and promote excellence in architecture, interior, product, graphic, and fashion design from around the world.
The jury consists of professionals with more than 15 years of experience in their respective industries, and entries are judged randomly and anonymously to ensure fair and impartial judging.
The awards are not simply for beauty or artistic value, but also for innovation (providing new creations for the market or complementing/improving existing products and services), functionality (ease of use, safety, ease of maintenance), ergonomics (is it based on user-first principles?), durability (quality and longevity), and social impact (social benefits of the design), utility (does it meet the user’s objectives and needs), ecological compatibility (are potential environmental and ecological impacts addressed), production feasibility (technical and economic realities of production and large-scale use), Emotional Quotient / EQ (achievement of practical objectives and design enjoyment and satisfaction) the criteria are said to be wide-ranging and demanding, including the achievement of practical objectives and design enjoyment and satisfaction.
For such an award as the IDAs, four properties, “THE ME,” “Gurney Food Hall,” “VMware,” and “KL EAST MALL,” received Honorable Mentions. They were recognized for their originality and special design.
GARDE enters numerous national and international awards each year with the goal of spreading the word about the excellence of its space and design, even after the property design is completed.
MIPIM 2022 was held at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, from the 15th to the 18th of March.
MIPIM (Marché International des Professionnels de l’Immobilier) has been held since 1990, and is organized by Reed-Midem of France.
It is one of the world’s largest real estate trade fairs, attracting more than 3,000 exhibitors and 20,000 visitors every year from all over the world, especially from Europe and the Middle East.
It is a place where developers, architects, local governments, investors, and various other players in the real estate business from around the world gather to attract companies and investments, introduce, promote urban development technologies and know-how held by each country, and disseminate information and exchange opinions on real estate investment.
GARDE, which has been incorporated in Italy, participated in the event as a member of CLUB ITALIA for two days on March 16 and 17, giving a presentation at the Italy Pavilion.
The venue was filled with excitement, as this is one of the largest real estate events in the world,having been eagerly awaited since the 2021, the event was forced to be canceled due to Covid-19.
In the Japanese real estate industry, where inbound investment and overseas development of urban development are said to be regaining momentum, participating in the world’s largest real estate event, and interacting with real estate professionals from various countries was extremely valuable, and gave us the confidence to initiate the next phase of development.
On September 30, 2021, a new jewelry zone was opened on the 2nd floor of Xidan Joy City (Da Yue City), located in the heart of North Beijing and is one of the most prominent commercial areas in the city. JOYCITY is a shopping center operated by Grand Joy throughout China, of which Xidan JOY CITY is the core store with particularly high sales and name recognition.
This time, we provided basic planning, basic design, implementation design, and design supervision for a brand editorial theme zone with jewelry brands targeting mainly young people concentrated in one corner of the facility. We have dispelled the brand image of a traditional jewelry store, which tends to be avoided by younger customers due to its emphasis on luxury. A signature mix of café spaces and other spaces where people can casually drop by has been created to create a my-first space with diversity.
The keywords for the design concept were (1) Mine (mining/my) and (2) Shine (sparkle of jewelry/brilliance of life), derived from the characteristics of jewelry. We created a space that evokes a mine shaft with a sense of “softness,” “brightness,” “cleanliness,” and “calmness,” thereby expressing a sense of unity as a zone. At the same time, we were conscious of not losing the concept and spatial expression of each brand and completed the new space with a sense of unity as a zone and the individuality of each brand.
◆Design Concept
The creation of new and unprecedented spaces and how they can be integrated with commercial facilities is the source of inspiration for this design.The design concept was to create a space that evokes a mine shaft with a sense of softness, brightness, cleanliness, and serenity, based on the keywords (1) Mine (mining/my) and (2) Shine (sparkle of jewelry/brilliance of life), which were derived from the characteristics of jewelry.
◆Design keywords
(1) Mine (mining/my)
“Mine” means not only “mining” but also “my, exclusively my own, my family”. We wanted this space to be a familiar and warm place where visitors can find special memories for themselves, their loved ones, and their families. To this end, we have given the space a soft and elegant presentation that touches the softest part of one’s heart.
(2) Shine (sparkle of jewelry/brilliance of life)
The special brilliance of precious metals as well as the meaning of will, vitality, mystery, and the sparkle of life that guides the future. The radiance emitted by gold jewelry is expressed this space by through the light emitted from the gaps between the clouds and the light spots.
◆Spatial Direction
Ribbons are skillfully utilized throughout the space. The winding tunnels add a ribbon-like softness that naturally leads visitors deeper into the zone. Everyone is drawn to each branching store as if to explore and discover. The light inside the stores shines through irregularly sized holes in the storefront partitions, leaking out into the aisles. The zone consists of one island store and eight retail units surrounding it. We have combined our island shop with retail and a café, designing the BrandMiX space to include a rest space where people can stop by casually. A common space near the entrance is open to everyone, creating a natural flow to the jewelry area. In addition, as an aesthetic creation, a landscape of small plants signifying hope and the future were placed to convey the effort to implement measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which is spreading worldwide, and that the coronavirus must be contained as soon as possible. Evergreen natural mosses were combined to create hills of varying heights and scattered throughout the public areas to complete a simple yet mysterious, garden-like shopping space experience space that is soothing in its quietness.
■Designer Profile
Masahito Kamekawa
Design Division, Large-scale Facility Design, Senior Designer
Kamekawa has had many achievements in large commercial facilities such as department stores and shopping malls, both in Japan and overseas. He was involved in the concept design of the Hankyu Umeda Main Store rebuilding project (1F-3F) and the concept design and schematic design of the Shinsaibashi Daimaru rebuilding project (4F-5F and B1 Fashion Sundries). He was awarded the Asia Pacific Property Award 2016 for “Joy Yard” in JOYCITY, a commercial facility in Beijing, and a special award in the Architecture and Branding category of the Architizer A+ Award 2017 for the shoe department on the 2nd floor of JOYCITY. Kamekawa’s recent achievements include the concept design of Suzhou Joy Breeze and the concept design and schematic design of Beijing Joy Breeze.
