The award-winning works from three AWRD projects showcased at the Loftwork Year End Party 2022

On December 9th, 2022, the Loftwork Year End Party was held at the Loftwork office in Shibuya, Tokyo. To celebrate the end of 2022, as a key creative platform of Loftwork Inc., the AWRD team curated and hosted a special one-day exhibition for more than 100 party guests.

At the AWRD exhibit, we showcased several award-winning works selected from the three AWRD projects: crQlr Awards 2021, WOOD CHANGE AWARD and Material Driven Innovation Award.

crQlr Awards 2021

Circular design, which is indispensable for making a truly sustainable economy a reality, requires not only practical know-how in existing industries, but also the broadening of one's horizons through exposure to local and global projects. As a means to accomplish this goal, we presented the crQlr Awards from 2021.

Previous awards can be found here.

botanical light

Botanical light is a product that picks up the negative electric charge emitted by micro-organisms coexisting with plants during their biological activities. The product then uses this as an electricity resource to light up the plant. Even without a power source, it can light up as long as the electrodes are inserted into the soil in which the plant grows.

crQlr Awards 2021 Winners
botanical light / Green Display, Inc.
https://awrd.com/en/creatives/detail/11791187

REKROW

REKROW, launched in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture in 2020, is a manufacturing project that rethinks workwear. This kind of workwear is typically thrown away once it has become dirty or unusable, however REKROW has created a new vision for how workwear should be made, discarded, and even used beyond it’s typical usable time. This project can be considered as a workwear version of the original "Onomichi Denim Project '' which was initiated in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture.

crQlr Awards 2021 Winners
Local Textile Manufacturing : Circular Economy REKROW / DISCOVERLINK Setouchi, Inc.
https://awrd.com/en/creatives/detail/11789679

PASS THE BATON MARKET

PASS THE BATON MARKET is a flea market that collects substandard and dead stock items such as food, clothing, furniture, accessories, stationery, crafts, etc. which has been stored in warehouses. It was launched in 2019 as a place to introduce the wastefulness and issues that companies, brands, and production areas are facing in relation to material waste management.

crQlr Awards 2021 Winners
PASS THE BATON MARKET / Smiles:
https://awrd.com/en/creatives/detail/11791532

WOOD CHANGE AWARD/CAMP

In the WOOD CHANGE AWARD and CAMP projects, we searched for ideas from Japan and abroad for unprecedented experiences, communicative tools and uses of Japanese wood. Entries could take any form, including concept images, videos, prototypes as well as products, service, and community activities which have not entered the market. We hoped that the creators' imagination would yield ideas that would boldly change the way we look at Japanese wood.

Forest Crayons

In Japan, wood harvested from the forest is sorted at a place known as “dojo”. The forest crayons are made from wood from such dojos which have been removed from the standards for furniture and building materials and used as pigments. When making the wood into crayons, the color of the tree trunks are very different depending on the species of wood, sunburn, and fungal growth. You can notice that they are not only brown in color but reflect various colors that the wood takes over the passage of time.Since the WOOD CHANGE CAMP, these crayons have been commercialized and sold by Felissimo.

The crayons have been commercialized and sold by Felissimo.
Forest crayons : Discovering the richness of tree colors
https://www.felissimo.co.jp/youmore/gcd706324/

The commercialized product from WOOD CHANGE CAMP
Forest Crayons / Playfool （Dan Coppen / Saki Coppen）
https://awrd.com/en/creatives/detail/10867938

A wooden railing that plays a sound that makes you want to move forward when you touch it.

Utilizing the color and texture of domestic hardwoods, this project proposes a wooden railing in a public space that can make sounds when touched. MATHRAX hopes that this project will not only allow people to enjoy their own rhythm by walking and touching the railing, but will also trigger new forms of communication between people in public spaces.

WOOD CHANGE AWARD Winners
A wooden railing that plays a sound that makes you want to move forward when you touch it. / MATHRAX (Syouzou Kuze / Mariko Sakamoto)
https://awrd.com/en/award/woodchangeaward/result

ICE TREEM

This project is a popsicle stick where the stick itself plays a starring role. There are many different types of trees that can be used to make popsicle sticks. In this project, different aromas create distinct, different aromas depending on the characteristics of the wood. While this project is still in its idea-phase, the aim is that the ice cream part would be made from the natural water of the local area where each tree is grown. This project proposes a new form of communication between trees and people, using the wood from the trees as “ingredients” and the ice cream as a medium.

WOOD CHANGE AWARD Winners
ICE TREEM / Chihiro Tajima
https://awrd.com/en/award/woodchangeaward/result

Material Driven Innovation Award

Material Driven Innovation Award is a series of design awards that explore meaning which is born from materials, purpose-built for innovative material manufacturers. Each edition of the award embraced a central theme, based on both world trends and industry demand. For this Spring 2022 series, we searched for materials that could inspire better human well-being and living.

"Food Paper" made from vegetables and fruits that return 100% to the soil

Food Paper is a project to transform discarded fruits and vegetables into paper, created by Igarashi Seishi, an Echizen washi (Japanese paper) factory established in 1919. Food Paper is characterized by its unique texture, which is different from both paper and washi (Japanese paper), and explores the new possibilities of paper as a material that connects people and the environment.

Material Driven Innovation Award Winner
"Food Paper" made from vegetables and fruits that return 100% to the soil / Igarashi Seishi Inc.
https://awrd.com/en/creatives/detail/12329205

TRF+H - 3D Printed Materials for Well-being

TRF+H is a material that can be easily processed by heating it with a hair dryer after 3D printing and can be fabricated to fit individual body curves. FabLab Shinagawa, the producer of this material, aims to make it more possible for the general public and people with disabilities to make their own tools by encouraging this highly customizable material. The opportunity to create tools and enrich the environment on their own should be fairly given to all. FabLab Shinagawa hopes this filament will bring creative and well-being living to all.

Material Driven Innovation Award Winner
TRF+H - 3D Printed Materials for Well-being | FabLab Shinagawa / UNITIKA LTD.
https://awrd.com/en/creatives/detail/12323926

ZERO Carbo N Soil

ZERO CARBO N SOIL was created as a cement-free, CO2 adsorbing and fixing product that demonstrates high strength and durability. Green & Water Corp. aims to make this product useful as one of the items that contribute to carbon neutrality.

Material Driven Innovation Award Winners
ZERO Carbo N Soil / Green & Water Corp.
https://awrd.com/en/creatives/detail/12324424

Co-Obradoiro Galego

Co-Obradoiro Galego is a collaborative project between three basketmakers and a biodesigner looking at biotechniques to help regenerate and revive our Galician craft heritage.

Material Driven Innovation Award Winners
Co-Obradoiro Galego / Paula Camiña Eiras
https://awrd.com/en/creatives/detail/12152716

The AWRD EDITOR'S NOTE

First of all, we would like to thank everyone who cooperated in the exhibition and everyone who came on the day.
AWRD gathers projects that will create a new era and celebrates the diverse entries that will carry the future forward. Although this time we only showcased a small portion from all of the entries, we are very happy that many people were able to experience them in person.
We will continue to increase exhibition opportunities in the future, and connect not only to Japan but also to other countries. Please keep in touch with our activities to see what new projects we discover together in the future! ! (Ryohei Sekii)

We would like to thank all those who cooperated in this exhibition. Without you, we would not have been able to showcase the three award-winning projects at the Loftwork Year End Party. Although the themes of projects are very different, they all share the same goal of tackling challenges, for example the social issue of how to create new ways to use wood. All of the projects are wonderful, and we hope to feature more projects and works submitted to AWRD in the future. (Carol Matsuda)

As a platform for ideas and projects, AWRD presented the winners of the three different theme awards at this exhibition.Thanks to everyone who helped make the AWRD exhibition possible, and to everyone who came to see, hear and touch the amazing work and materials on the day. Please visit AWRD.com to keep up to date with the past and present AWRD projects! (Ming Wu)