Grand Prize: 1 Million Yen
The theme for this competition is "Greening the Future City." While the concept of coexistence with nature in urban environments has been advocated for some time, various approaches have been explored. However, the cities we inhabit today, surrounded by towering buildings, remain far from this ideal. Beyond issues of cost, maintenance, and technology, there is a need to consider how to approach urban development, the environment, and people. This is the challenge posed by the competition.



Green wall systems, which have garnered attention in recent years, are one effective method for environmental regeneration. By covering building facades with greenery, they are expected to provide energy-saving benefits, primarily by reducing heat absorption in buildings. As next-generation proposals, we might see techniques integrating greenery into the very volume of urban architecture, or its use in creating open spaces and green industrial parks. Exploring the future of urban parks, which have followed the same methods for years, is also crucial. Furthermore, even overlooked small elements like alleyways and gutters hold immense potential. The organizers seek proposals for future cities that coexist with nature, prompting a re-evaluation of our daily relationship with plants.



Proposals must be for existing cities, including information that clarifies their characteristics, and must be potentially realizable in the near future. Applicants must be 30 years old or younger as of August 31, 2013 (all members of a group must meet this condition). The competition is open to a wide range of young innovators, including undergraduate and graduate students studying environmental science, architecture, art, design, biology, botany, and related fields.