Ginza Sony Park wins a Good Design Gold Award (Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award) in 2019

Ginza Sony Park received the Good Design Gold Award (Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award) at the 2019 Good Design Awards organized by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, and was also chosen as a finalist for the Good Design Grand Award.

Bird's eye view of Ginza Sony Park and the Sukiyabashi Crossing

The award was presented by the Good Design Award Judging Committee in recognition of the decision to intentionally create an open space and not put up a building for several years, even as redevelopment projects are happening all over Tokyo leading up to 2020. The committee praised this decision in and of itself as the most significant innovation.

The Good Design Award in 2019 screened as many as 4,772 entries for products and services in various industries and selected 1,420 entries (from 940 companies) to receive the Good Design Award. From among these winners, one hundred of the most outstanding entries were then selected for the distinction of Good Design Best 100, from among which the judging committee then selected 20 recipients of the Good Design Gold Award. Five finalists for the Good Design Grand Award were then selected from among these 20.

Awards ceremony for Good Design Award 2019

Explanation from the Good Design Award Judging Committee about their evaluation

This park was built after demolishing the above-ground floors of the old Sony Building which long served as a landmark of Ginza Sukiyabashi intersection. Connecting to the subway concourse and Nishi-Ginza parking lot underground, the park is viewed as a three-dimensional structure with a below-ground space. The viewers are challenged to rethink the definition of park and public space. With the Olympics coming up, Tokyo is going through a major redevelopment stage but this project chooses to create an open space and not to build anything for the next few years. That decision alone makes this the most innovative design that you can see today.

Good Design Award website

https://www.g-mark.org/award/describe/49496

About the Good Design Award

Carrying on the Good Design Product Selection System that was established in 1957, the award is one of Japan's foremost design and evaluation initiatives. Conducted annually, the Good Design Award seeks to harness the power of design to improve quality of life and solve social problems as a global design award involving large numbers of companies and organizations throughout the world. The G Mark symbol of winning the award is widely recognized as indicative of outstanding design.

http://www.g-mark.org/