Cosmos Initia's 'Next GOOD Challenge' Grand Prix Goes to 'nLDK' Housing for Dual-Income Families

Cosmos Initia Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Ryotaro Kochi), a member of the Daiwa House Group, is implementing the 'Next GOOD Challenge (NGC)'—an internal competition for planning new renovation condo products to create and realize future businesses and product plans. We are pleased to announce that the Grand Prix and Semi-Grand Prix winners for the fiscal year 2025 have been decided. All four entries, including the award-winning plans, will be commercialized and sold sequentially (*). * Includes items already sold. Grand Prix Project: 'There are things more important than the number of rooms' - Dining and Kitchen ■ 'Next GOOD Challenge' Project: Reimagining Housing Norms and Commercializing 'One Step Ahead' Ideas The 'NGC' project, which has been ongoing since 2019, is an internal competition aimed at creating 'Next GOOD'—our company mission—by designing and realizing future business and product concepts. All employees of our Distribution Division responsible for the renovation business are eligible to form voluntary teams and propose renovation ideas based on a given theme. Following internal reviews, these ideas are commercialized and sold. This initiative aims not only to nurture young talent but also to enhance agility in the renovation business, where product cycles are short, targeting 'one step ahead' product development that aligns with current trends. We are working to create spatial designs that challenge standard housing norms and eventually become new standards for our renovation condo business. ■ Four Entries Commercialized: Capturing 'Housing and Services as Future Standards in 5 Years' For the 2025 fiscal year, four teams totaling 12 members entered under the theme 'Housing and Services that will be the Future Standard in 5 Years.' Each team spent approximately one year formulating their plans, from initial idea conception through to planning, promotion, and sales. Starting this year, pitch proposals, interim presentations, and offline review sessions were held before the final proposal, resulting in high-precision and high-passion plans. All four renovation condo projects, which capture latent but certainly existing needs and incorporate 'one step ahead' future standards, will be commercialized and sold sequentially (*). Furthermore, we will continue to focus on commercializing proposed plans and developing participating employees in the next term and beyond, continuing the 'NGC Project.' * Includes items already sold. ■ 2025 Grand Prix and Semi-Grand Prix Winners 'There are things more important than the number of rooms' ~A comfortable home for the family, now and in the future~ Dual Career’s HOUSE ~A home that enables the coexistence of work and sports~ In this year's NGC project, the Grand Prix and Semi-Grand Prix were decided by five judges, including three external judges. The Grand Prix-winning plan focused on the increase in dual-income parenting households where women return to management positions or career-building after marriage and childbirth. Identifying the balance between home and career as a social issue, the plan set 'career-oriented dual-income parenting families in their 40s' as the main target, envisioning a home that will be the standard five years from now. Furthermore, considering the current situation where housing choices are becoming limited due to land shortages and price hikes near stations—even when people initially consider both detached houses and condos—the plan proposed 'nLDK' housing as a new standard. This concept moves away from traditional floor plan thinking to realize 'a way of life that fits who we are,' aiming for spatial design that supports the balance of family and work while ensuring a comfortable environment for years to come. ■ Grand Prix Plan Design Points: Optimizing Busy Daily Life Space By adopting a 'single-stroke' circular movement line and a kitchen that considers times when no cooking is occurring, a seamless and open space has been realized. Additionally, large-scale storage located along living movement lines aims to improve efficiency in housework, childcare, and work. The plan also features a 'koagari' (raised floor area) where family members naturally gather, and Western-style rooms that can be partitioned according to children's growth or changes in lifestyle, making it a home that adapts to the 'now' and 'future' of the family. Hotel-like bedrooms and vanity spaces, along with interior windows, bring a modest sense of the extraordinary and moments of healing to everyday life, resulting in a home that supports busy days from both functional and comfort perspectives. * This unit has already been sold. ● This time, the excellence lies in adding clear gains and functions while performing a kind of subtraction. Subtraction...