“Hyakutowa,” a co-living residence in Higashikawa, Hokkaido, was selected among the Best 100 of the Good Design Award in recognition of its new form of housing designed with the next 100 years in mind and its contribution to regional development. The award recognized its system under which the client and future residents live together and change over time.
“Hyakutowa,” a new form of co-living in Higashikawa, Hokkaido, received the 2026 Good Design Award and was also selected among the Best 100, which are chosen from the award-winning designs. The Best 100 comprise 100 designs recognized as particularly outstanding among the award winners.
The initiative was highly evaluated as a new approach to regional development and residential formats while remaining a private residence. Aiming to create a home that will endure for the next 100 years, “Hyakutowa” proposes a way of living in which people live together beyond the family unit and cultivate the land.
“Hyakutowa” comprises 2 buildings: a main building on the right where guests can also stay, and a building on the left containing the couple’s bedroom. The design philosophy is described as one in which daily life shapes the landscape and is passed on to the next generation as residents change over time.
The judges praised the arrangement, which opens half of the site to future residents, as well as its contribution to community formation and its novel residential format. The award has been presented as a project that raises interest in architecture and ways of living developed in collaboration with nature and the local community.