The award ceremony for Takuma Ohigashi, who received the Excellence Award in the Junior High School Idea Category at the 13th Knowledge Innovation Award held in March, took place at our school. Mr. Daito was selected from a total of 1,668 submissions and received this prestigious award, ranking just below the Grand Prix and Semi-Grand Prix.

At the ceremony, Mr. Matsukawa from Knowledge Capital Association and Mr. Sugiyama from Super Festival Inc. were in attendance. The event also included a presentation on his continuing activities after receiving the award, making it a meaningful ceremony that will lead to future endeavors.

The idea presented by Mr. Ohigashi was titled "Time-Circulating Design Architect." It originated from his experience in first grade, when his home underwent a skeleton renovation, which made him question why cherished items were being discarded. Inspired by the reuse and resale systems for home appliances, he proposed a new concept of architecture that goes beyond simply “building a house” to also considering, from the design stage, how it can be recycled after use and passed on to the next person. Furthermore, he expanded this idea based on his experiences with people living in poverty during a language training program in the Philippines, noting that this concept contributes to achieving 6 of the 17 SDGs goals. He concluded his presentation with the powerful message: “Turning what would become waste into new value.”

In an interview after the ceremony, he shared his delight, saying, “I believe that letting everyone know about it is the most important thing for making my dream come true, so I was very happy. Above all, I’m glad that I was able to share my idea with many people.”

We look forward to Mr. Ohigashi’s continued success in the future.

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