The "Kikuma Watanabe + D Environmental Design System Laboratory," organized by Associate Professor Watanabe Kikuma of KUT's School of Systems Engineering, received a "Shortlisted in Architecture" prize in the small firm section of the sustainable architecture category of the American Architecture Prize 2017 Firm of the Year contest.
This award covers the achievements of architectural offices around the world, and "Kikuma Watanabe + D Environmental Design System Laboratory" applied for the category of small firm (with ten or fewer staff).
The Watanabe laboratory has produced a series of works including "Rainbow School," "Passive House with Sundial," "A Shrine in Chaos, Niigata," "Ecovillage in the East African Community" and "Kanamine Shinto Shrine in Saoka." Those achievements were evaluated in terms of construction quality by judges including internationally renowned architects.