Introduction

COMPETITION ORGANISERS
Tokyo Urban 
Meditation Cabins

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.

We sincerely thank our jury panel
for their time and expertise

Suzuko Yamada

founder of Suzuko Yamada Architects

Japan

Takeshi Yamamura

founder of YSLA YamamuraSanzLaviña Architects

Japan

Rituparna Simlai

Principal of Studio Arth LLC

USA

Mark Dytham

founder of Klein Dytham architecture (KDa)

Japan

Astrid Klein

founder of Klein Dytham architecture (KDa)

Japan

James Delaney

Chairman of the Block by Block Foundation

USA

Nancy Beka

architectural designer and co-director of Studio Edwards

Australia

Dan Dorocic

designer ON/OFF

Germany

Greg Corso

Designer, SPORTS Collaborative

USA

Lydia Kallipoliti

Tallin Architecture Biennale, ANAcycle thinktank

USA

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.

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  • 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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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Project name

meditation vending machine

Project name

Komorebi cabin

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

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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