British Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid has been awarded the prestigious Praemium Imperiale Award for Architecture by the Japan Art Association. “It is indeed an honor to receive this recognition from the Japan Art Association.” said Hadid. “Working in Japan has been critical to the development of my work around the…

Japanese designer Yusuke Hara of [Designkit], a design firm in Tokyo, has recently been awarded the Grand Prize in the Interior Design Category at the 2009 World Space Creators Awards for his project “scramble perpective”.

Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA today released a first rendering of their design for the 2009 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London’s Hyde Park. Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2009 by Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA SANAA:…

“AIKI”, the entry by Architects Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Ltd, has taken first prize in the architectural competition arranged by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for the Finnish Embassy building in Tokyo. The winner was announced by Mikko Paaso, Director for Real Estates, at an…

On the initiative of President Victor Yushchenko, “Mystetskyj Arsenal Cultural-Art and Museum Complex,” a central cultural district consisting of several new and existing buildings, will be established in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, in the next few years. An international competition was conducted to select both, an urban master plan…

MUJI AWARD 03, with its theme of “Found MUJI”, was open to applicants for two months from May 26 to July 31, 2008. Some 1,986 entries from 35 countries were received. The organizers recently announced the winning entries that made it through very rigid judging process. Masaaki Kanai, President…

The Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization, the organization involved in the comprehensive promotion of design, recently announced the results of the 2008 Good Design Awards. Applications for this year opened on May 8, and 3,023 entries were received. As a result of initial and second screenings, 1,067 items received Good…

Peter Zumthor (Photo: The Sankei Shimbun, ‘08)Swiss architect Peter Zumthor received the 2008 Praemium Imperiale prize offered by the Japanese emperor. The prize is awarded to artists who have earned exceptional merits for advancing of the arts. According to…