"Community-Open Model House" Renka Wins Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award and Good Design Award 2025

raumus (Representative: Masashi Takeda), an architectural design office in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, designed the renovated model house "Renka" (Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture / Construction: Koga Gumi Co., Ltd.). In 2025, it received the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award, the highest honor at the 12th Rebuilding Grand Prize, and the Good Design Award 2025. Furthermore, it was selected as the Quarter-Grand Prix winner at the JACK National Reform Idea Contest 2025. This model house, which renovated a 70-year-old rice mill into a residence, is currently accepting individual viewing reservations.

Renka is based on the concept of a "community-open model house" and is planned as a two-building complex consisting of a residential part (model house) and a community space open to the region. While many model houses are designed to be consumed and rebuilt in about five years, this project aims for a structure where the building itself can continue to exist by being loved and used by the community.

Embodying this concept, in 2025, "Asakura Note," a local editorial company that publishes the free magazine "ASAKURA.NOTE" in the Asakura area, participated as an operating partner, using Renka's community space as its base of operations. Renka is beginning a new phase, not just as an architectural regeneration, but as a hub for editing and disseminating local people, culture, and arts.

The original rice mill's equipment and framework were utilized as they were, creating a community space for the region.

Key points of this article

● "Renka," a model house renovated from a 70-year-old rice mill, received awards and selections in three major contests in 2025.

● Received the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award, the highest prize at the 12th Rebuilding Grand Prize (Organizer: General Incorporated Association Existing Building Rebuilding Organization).

● Selected for the Good Design Award 2025 (Organizer: Japan Institute of Design Promotion).

● Quarter-Grand Prix in the full renovation category of the JACK National Reform Idea Contest 2025 (Organizer: General Incorporated Association Jack Group).

● Featured on ArchDaily, the world's largest architectural media, and Chinese architectural media goood.

● "Asakura Note," a local editorial company that publishes the regional free magazine "ASAKURA.NOTE," participated as an operating partner in the Renka project, using a corner of the community space. Renka is becoming a hub for editing and disseminating local culture.

What is "Renka"? ─ A space where old and new connect

"Renka" is a renovated model house in Asakura City, Fukuoka Prefecture, located in the center of the former Asakura town, which was a 70-year-old rice mill. The rice mill, which has been loved by local people for many years and supported their lives, has been re-established as a modern home with contemporary sensibilities, while preserving its history and charm.

The original rice mill consisted of a single-story part for rice milling and a two-story part mainly used as a warehouse. Since it was too large for a single residence, the two-story part was renovated as a model house (residence), and the single-story part was developed as a community space/tenant space open to local people. It was named "Renka" (meaning "connected house") because it is a space where old and new are connected, it has a connected building shape, and it also refers to the three connected waterwheels and beautiful mountain ranges, which are famous sights in Asakura.

Exterior before renovation

Exterior after renovation

Concept: "Community-Open Model House"

The core of the Renka project is the concept of a "community-open model house."

Currently, many model houses are built throughout Japan, but because their designs are consumed and become outdated, it is not uncommon for them to be rebuilt in about five years. raumus, the designer, questioned the very nature of such "almost disposable model houses" and incorporated a mechanism into the design where the building itself can continue to exist by being loved and used by the community.

Specifically, the residence (model house) and the community-open +α space (community/tenant) are connected as a two-building complex. By interacting with each other, it was planned to function not just as a model house for a single residence, but as an architectural structure that serves as a hub for the local community. In the +α space, the original rice milling machine and roof truss (existing framework) are preserved as they are, creating a space where visitors can experience the time accumulated by the building itself.

By combining "renovation of old buildings" and "community-open functions," it presents an alternative design solution to the challenges faced by conventional model houses, such as design obsolescence and rebuilding after their purpose is served.

View of the earthen floor from the east. The exterior, where old and new intersect, reuses existing tiles. The spacious entrance earthen floor serves as a junction between the model house and the community space.