Foreword

Buildner is excited to announce the results of its Tokyo Urban Meditation Cabins Competition!

For this event Buildner tasked participants with submitting designs for a meditation cabin prototype that could be replicated and placed in various locations around Tokyo. The cabins should serve as a small public sanctuary where people can take a break from the noise of urban life. Participants were asked to explore how architecture can function as a therapeutic tool and to design a small tranquil space in the otherwise stressful environment of the dense and chaotic city.

Buildner worked with a regional and international jury to evaluate submissions and select award winners. The jury included: Greg Corso of Syracuse NY-based SPORTS Collaborative; Dan Dorocic is a member of Berlin-based design & architecture collective ON/OFF; Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham are founders of Tokyo-based Klein Dytham architecture (KDa); Lydia Kallipoliti is the principal of ANAcycle thinktank, an Assistant Professor at the Cooper Union in New York and the Head Curator of the 2022 Tallinn Architecture Biennale; Rituparna Simlai is Principal of Studio Arth LLC, based in Miami; Suzuko Yamada is founder of Suzuko Yamada Architects; and Takeshi Yamamura is a Japanese architect and founder of Tokyo-based YSLA YamamuraSanzLaviña Architects.

The proposals were evaluated for their ingenuity and ability to function as a temporary urban escape. Juror Astrid Klein noted: “In this competition the meditation cabin has taken on so many different meanings and variations in shape or form, that it is clear we all meditate in unique ways.”

Buildner and its jury panel would like to thank each of the participants and teams from around the globe who submitted proposals for this event.

COMPETITION ORGANISERS
Tokyo Urban 
Meditation Cabins

1st Prize Winner +
Buildner Student Award

Project name

Shinrin-Yoku

It would take a good psychologist to know. Something magical and fascinating happens during architectural competitions. Just think of two people who have never met, do not speak the same language, live in different places, at different times, and despite this they communicate with each other. We feel this powerful fascination and when we have something to say, we cannot resist the temptation to be part of it.

Read full interview
  • 7/10 Linework
  • 9/10 Quality of drawings
  • 7/10 Balance of color
  • 8/10 Layout
  • 8/10 Hierarchy
  • 5/10 Annotation
  • 7/10 Text
  • 10/10 Clarity of story
  • 9/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 8/10 Quality of overall presentation

2nd Prize Winner

Project name

Tranquillizing the Void

We participate in architecture competitions to be able to test out our ideas and our will to create. Additionally, it provides us with a platform for not only exploration but also growth and put us in a critical condition. In academia, or even in practice, the brief and the learning outcomes are already set out prior. With architecture competitions, we can pick and choose what sort of briefs interests us. This can spark the creativity that we inherently possess and push it further.

Read full interview
Authors Koh Noguchi, Javier Arés, Juan Pablo Lopez Isabella
Country United Kingdom
  • 10/10 Linework
  • 10/10 Quality of drawings
  • 10/10 Balance of color
  • 10/10 Layout
  • 10/10 Hierarchy
  • 7/10 Annotation
  • 10/10 Text
  • 10/10 Clarity of story
  • 10/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 10/10 Quality of overall presentation

3rd Prize Winner

Project name

A Riot of Calmness

I was interested in the topic itself.

Read full interview
Author Leo Liu
Country China
  • 10/10 Linework
  • 10/10 Quality of drawings
  • 6/10 Balance of color
  • 9/10 Layout
  • 9/10 Hierarchy
  • 9/10 Annotation
  • 10/10 Text
  • 10/10 Clarity of story
  • 10/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10 Quality of overall presentation

Buildner Sustainability Award

Project name

Chiaroscuro

Competitions are opportunities to develop other ways of doing things and to reflect on subjects that differ from the demands of traditional sponsors. For the agency, this has always made it possible to freely explore fields of ideas and to shape new concepts. It is also a way to make atypical references that complement the production of more conventional buildings. Even if the buildings are theoretical, the ideas are here and can be used in a real project in the future.

Read full interview
Authors Vincent Gillot, Gregoire Vizzari, Leonor Mayoux
Country France
  • 10/10 Linework
  • 10/10 Quality of drawings
  • 8/10 Balance of color
  • 10/10 Layout
  • 10/10 Hierarchy
  • 6/10 Annotation
  • 8/10 Text
  • 10/10 Clarity of story
  • 10/10 Clarity of diagrams
  • 9/10 Quality of overall presentation

Honorable Mentions

Show Honorables Mentions (6 of 6) Hide Honorables Mentions projects
Project name

meditation vending machine

Project name

Komorebi cabin

University Wuyi University
Authors Jiahui Yan, Bo Nan, Kaiqian Wang, Miao Li
Country China
+72 points Buildner University Rankings
Project name

NO SIGNAL meditation cabin

Author Vlad Chabai
Country Netherlands
Project name

THE KIMONO BELT CABIN

Project name

CONTEMPLATION PAVILLON

Project name

mube

Authors Rubric Architecture Inc , Yanja Tumurbaatar
Country Canada

Shortlisted projects

Show Shortlisted projects Hide Shortlisted projects

mube

Rubric Architecture Inc

Yanja Tumurbaatar

Canada

NO SIGNAL meditation cabin

Vlad Chabai

Netherlands

meditation vending machine

Jaesung Yoon

Kaywon University of Art and Design

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
South Korea

Kanso Capsule

Sean Solowski

Canada

A Riot of Calmness

Leo Liu

China

Silence between sound

Zofia Andrzejewska

Julia Grochowalska

Julia Leśnik

University of Fine Arts in Poznań (Uniwersytet Artystyczny im. Magdaleny Abakanowicz w Poznaniu)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Poland

CONTEMPLATION PAVILLON

Simon Bonhomme

Alicia Mathevon

ENSAG, École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Grenoble

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
France

Metronome

Kateryna Pylypenko

Dominik Khoroshavin

Oleksandra Antal

Oleksander Kolesnykov

Kharkiv School of Architecture

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Ukraine

Chiaroscuro

Vincent Gillot

Gregoire Vizzari

Leonor Mayoux

France

Hinan

Ethan Paquette

Canada

Introspective Journey

Josep lluís Sánchez-fortún botines

Natalia Ordoñez acevedo

Fabian camilo Castro pérez

Ignacio Ferrer ávila

Spain

Komorebi cabin

Jiahui Yan

Bo Nan

Kaiqian Wang

Miao Li

China

Filtration

Jinwei Zhang

Yingwen Zhu

Yuxin Hu

University of Nottingham Ningbo

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
China

openmind

Patrycja Migała

Filip Bielecki

West Pomeranian University of Technology, Zachodniopomorski Uniwersytet Technologiczny w Szczecinie, ZUT)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Poland

A Tailored Refuge

Yara Ragab

Irfaan Kasmani

Canada

THE KIMONO BELT CABIN

Andranik Shahmirian

ENSACF Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture Clermont-Ferrand

+72 points Buildner University Rankings!
France

CABIN OF MODERN MEDITATION

Luis Daniel garcia

United States

Sheru

Lucas Frutoso

marion leger

yaelle bouvard

sakina guernane

Université Laval School of Architecture, École d'architecture de l'Université Laval

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Canada

Tranquillizing the Void

Koh Noguchi

Javier Arés

Juan Pablo Lopez Isabella

United Kingdom

Tokyo Meditation Module

Charles Bloszies

United States

Calmness Sphere

Aylin Ayna

Doğa Erdem

Turkey

The Lightroom

Justyna Śmigielska

Anna Bytner

Darya Vybarnaya

Cracow University of Technology (Politechnika Krakowska im. Tadeusza Kościuszki)

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Poland

The shell

可月 司

China

Lantern Cabin

José Kuski vieira

Portugal

Meditation Roji

Matteo Fraticelli

Motomi Morii

Martin Lee

United States

Tranzendent Garden

Mason Wilson

Aaron Best

United States

Tokyo Gate

An Li

KIT - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Germany

The routine

Carola Bona

IED Istituto Europeo di Design

+22 points Buildner University Rankings!
Italy

Eclipse

Fabien Mock

Oliver Kamm

Stefan Könnecke

Switzerland

Ensō

Laura Raspanti

Italy

Shinrin-Yoku

Debora Di Francesco

Doni Hallko

University of Camerino (UNICAM) , Unicam - Università di Camerino

+172 points Buildner University Rankings!
Italy

KUU cabin

Punyisa Deepanwong

Phiriya Chavanaphan

Thailand

Tokyo Urban Meditation Cabins

John Lim

Australia

Reflect

Giulio Violanti

Tommaso Pistolesi

Simone Palmieri

Italy

Perch Around the Corner - regeneration of Nagakin capsules

Marco Gazzoli

Pietari Sulonen

Exthai Chhiv

Canada

Rikyu Gray Meditation Cabin

Haowei Pan

Yu Gong

Zirui Jiang

Hungary

PRANA

Sebastian Krawczyk

Szymon Chrzanowski

Poland

unplugger

Alessandro Rigamonti

Italy

Pyramid Refraction

Marius Voica

Iuliana Liubomeiscaia

Claudia-nicoleta Visterineanu

Romania

TOKONOMA PODS

Dougan Phillips

United States