Competition 2024 Jury Report: Through the final screening at Shodoshima

It was unusual for this annual competition to set specific tasks for an actual site and hold an on site presentation. Although it was an idea competition, the presentation was opened to the locals and had an opportunity to discuss the area through the proposals.
There was a sense that all participants worked together to create and present ideas, going beyond the usual independent work that we do as specialists. I believe we were able to fulfill the role that only a competition can play. We received excellent proposals that sincerely considered the local context, and overall it was a particularly valuable event.

The first prize winner, "Archives and Listening Tracks" was a brilliant proposal that maximized the potential of a small mobile architecture to foster and sustain the island's food culture while collecting local ingredients, techniques, and knowledge from around the island as an archive, while supporting the growth of the region and industry.
"Tsumikijima -A Communal Island Table We Build Together-" was also a good proposal that carefully balanced the festive nature of gathering together with the mobility of dispersal, and the proposed food menu was symbolically linked to the form of the food stall, which was exactly what the competition aimed for.
"SHOKUBAI at work" summarized detailed research and proposals for urban development in a dense illustration, and it made us feel that if a team like theirs could work with the local government and get involved in the community, the area would definitely become more lively. The winning works were exhibited at the judging venue, and we received comments from local residents after the judging.
Among them, "Shodoshima Food Truck Hub," which proposed a temporary structure where food trucks could gather, received the most votes from the audience, so we decided to give it the Audience Award.

We hope that these ideas will be realized someday somewhere on the island.

Unlike previous years, this year's competition was not only about design, but also about presenting what kind of programs and behaviors could be developed in the site. There were many ambitious proposals, and in particular, the 11 teams that remained in the final screening were highly evaluated not only for their designs, but also for their integrated schemes that incorporated an understanding of the location of Sakate Port. The final screening, which was conducted both online and on site, was attended by local residents
and Mayor of Shodoshima Town, giving it a sense of the high expectations.

"Archives and Listening Tracks," thought of ways to archive the town itself, and challenged the development of materials, applied them to new architecture, and reconstructed the landscape of eating, making, and living, which also extended to the menu. I learned from the presentation that this proposal was made possible by the fact that they are based in both Tokyo and Sakate. I have stayed in Sakate as well, and there were events that I thought were beautiful and architecture that I hoped would remain. It was a wonderful proposal with an attitude that was attuned to the town.
I would also like to mention the proposal "SHOKUBAI at work." I was very impressed by the thought that went into the design, to the structure of how people should be involved on the island. Although the mechanism is not always evident until it is fully realized, the combination of dream and reality in the proposal must have made the people living on Shodoshima want to take on the challenge.

It was memorable that the reception after the discussion was a meeting place where the applicants, residents, and judges continued to interact with people who want to create something great. I hope for the applicants to visit there in the future and make something happen, and may their proposals come to fruition even for a little.

It was a very meaningful time for me, as a chef, to participate in the architecture competition as a judge. In the initial screening , I was very interested in the ideas and designs that emerged from the first screening, which were very flexible and had strong narrative and emotional elements, rather than the hard image that one might imagine from
"architecture," even though the environment of the port on Shodoshima and the mobile design conditions were a major factor. It was also good that the final screening was conducted on site, feeling the sea, wind, mountains, and townscape of Shodoshima, allowing us to imagine the island more clearly from the perspective of the people who live on the island and from those who visit the island from the outside.

"Archives and Listening Tracks," fascinated with the idea of documenting and preserving the local climate, scenery, and culture while moving about, as if the records were not stored deep inside the building, but rather lightly blended into the present and passed on to the future.
I was also very impressed with the work "SHOKUBAI at work," which combined the concepts of "food and work," and the way it depicted the motivations for people to move and the lines of movement for putting them into practice, as well as the way it successfully
integrated the elements that are difficult to see into its presentation.

Many of the presentations applied for this competition were works with lightness and did not destroy the landscape of the island, yet they were living through people coming and going. I could imagine a landscape with food at the center of the bustling atmosphere
and the connection between architecture, climate, people, and food. I am grateful for
the opportunity to have participated in this competition.