All Renovation Businesses Now Eligible to Apply: "Renovation of the Year 2026" to Be Held!

The Renovation Association (located in Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Takuya Yamamoto) will once again host "Renovation of the Year 2026," an award that selects and recognizes the year's most representative renovation projects. This award has garnered significant attention annually as the industry's largest event, widely promoting the possibilities of renovation. For its 14th iteration this year, as a further step towards realizing the association's goal of "truly rich living," the application eligibility will be expanded to include all businesses, not just association members. Additionally, a new "COUNCIL’S VISION AWARD" will be established to embody the association's vision. Furthermore, an information session will be held on Thursday, May 21st, from 16:00 to 18:00, either at the Renovation Association meeting room or via Zoom. In addition to an overview, the session will include explanations of key points by past "Renovation of the Year" award-winning companies and a networking event. https://www.renovation.or.jp/oftheyear/ ■ What is "Renovation of the Year"? "Renovation of the Year" is an annual festival for everyone involved in renovation. The purpose of this festival is to broadly convey the appeal and significance of renovation through diverse case studies. Through this initiative, we aim to communicate the new possibilities of housing to society and foster the future of the industry together. Beyond just awarding projects, we aim for renovation to become a "standard" choice for more people when selecting a home, through the efforts of each member company. ■ Non-member companies now eligible to apply Until now, our association has strived to improve market reliability by accumulating excellent renovation case studies from member companies. Moreover, as the urgent need for a transition to a sustainable society grows, the social demand for renovation increases year by year. In response to this trend, we decided to open applications to a wider range of excellent cases from across the country, regardless of membership status, starting this year, with the aim of presenting the possibilities of renovation to society together with businesses possessing diverse wisdom and sensibility. We believe that the challenges of each company will drive the future of the industry. With this in mind, we are seeking diverse forms of renovation that transcend industry boundaries. ■ New "COUNCIL’S VISION AWARD" established Starting this year, we will establish a new award, the "COUNCIL’S VISION AWARD." This award will be selected and recognized by business owner votes and the association's board of directors, separate from the selection by a committee primarily composed of media professionals. Elements embodying the association's vision, such as performance improvement, utilization/optimal use of vacant homes (Adaptive Reuse), and cost-performance, will serve as selection criteria, highly evaluating pioneering initiatives that create the future market. ■ "Renovation of the Year 2026" Overview 1. Regular members or supporting members of the Renovation Association 2. Renovation businesses that endorse the activities of the Renovation Association * Must possess one of the following registrations: real estate transaction business, construction business, or architectural design office registration. * Must comply with relevant laws and regulations. Must not be affiliated with anti-social forces. Must not have acted in bad faith in disputes with consumers, etc. * Renovation work completed between October 1, 2024, and September 20, 2026. * Consent obtained from clients and related parties for images to be published on the association's website, promotional materials, and media approved by the association. * The residence must comply with relevant laws and regulations, such as the Building Standards Act. * The structure of the residence, whether owned or rented, does not matter. Association members: Free Non-association members: 30,000 yen per application Up to 3 applications per company per category * Past entries or re-entries with the same content are not permitted. Submitted works will be solicited in 4 categories. In line with recent market conditions and the diversification of renovation, the category settings have been revamped this year. ① Less than 10 million yen *1 ② Less than 20 million yen *1 ③ 20 million yen or more *1 ④ Open category *2 Multiple entries for the same property across different categories are not permitted. For categories based on construction cost (①-③), specifying the construction cost is mandatory. The construction cost is assumed to be at a level where similar renovations can be reproduced as contracted work for general users. *1: Housing (one