Obel – A foundation Recognising and Rewarding Architecture’s Potential to Act as Tangible Agents of Change.
The Obel Foundation, established in 2019 in Copenhagen by Danish philanthropist and entrepreneur Henrik Frode Obel, was founded to advance architecture as a force for positive social and environmental change. The foundation supports initiatives that expand the role of architecture through education, research, exhibitions, and publications — encouraging new approaches to building, landscape, and urban life that promote wellbeing and sustainability.
We highlight the first two Obel Award winners as early milestones that set the tone for what the foundation continues to champion: an architecture of care, rooted in empathy, material awareness, and deep respect for the interconnectedness of life.
The inaugural Obel Award was presented to Junya Ishigami & Associates for the Art Biotop Water Garden in Tochigi, Japan — a meditative landscape that blurs the boundaries between architecture and nature. Designed as a delicate mosaic of transplanted trees and interwoven ponds, the man-made garden functions as both a technological construction and a living ecosystem that evolves over time.
Martha Schwartz, Chair of the Jury, said: »Ishigami’s architecture is the architecture of space, not of object, which is a departure from conventional architecture. He discards the idea of architecture as a built, utilitarian structure by reversing the business-as-usual process, which is: building first, landscape second – if at all. Instead, with the project Water Garden, Ishigami leaves us wondering: is this architecture, landscape architecture, or art?«
Ishigami’s approach, rooted in sensitivity, emotion, and respect for the existing landscape, demonstrates how design can interact with nature without diminishing it. The Art Biotop Water Garden invites visitors and professionals alike to imagine architecture not as the act of building, but as the cultivation of harmony between humans and the natural world.
Winner 2020: Anandaloy project in Bangladesh, by Studio Anna Heringer.
The 2020 Obel Award was given to Anandaloy, a project by Studio Anna Heringer in rural Bangladesh. The name Anandaloy means “The Place of Deep Joy” in Bangla, and the building lives up to its name — a joyful expression of care, dignity, and inclusion. Constructed from earth and bamboo, the structure stands as a model of how architecture can respond to both environmental and social challenges. According to the jury, the project demonstrates, in a playful and unpretentious way, that design can contribute to healing the climate while also addressing inequality and segregation.
Martha Schwartz, Chair of the Jury, said: “To all of us in the jury, Anandaloy is an outstanding project. It is an original piece. It is not in the style of; it is not imitating something else. I think Anna is absolutely dedicated to what she is doing, which is what you see when you see a good piece of art: that there is a good, focused intent behind it. Anna manages to integrate all of her values: she is building sustainably, using the materials that are there, having people involved, so that they can learn to build for themselves, and creating more opportunities for women and for people with disabilities. You can feel that she has a real respect for the culture, for the people, for the land.“
Architecturally, the building explores the plastic abilities of bamboo and rammed earth in order to create a stronger identity and thereby to celebrate nonconformity and diversity. Rather than being straight-lined, the building dances in curves, a ramp winding playfully around its inner structure. Constructed from only local materials and with the know-how of local craftsmanship, the Anandaloy project respects the local culture and tradition, and from a very simple design and subtle approach still manages to integrate a diverse range of both human needs and programmatic abilities without damage to the environment.
Like science, politics, and economics, architecture too is asked to take responsibility for the environment rather than exploit it. Anandaloy offers a hopeful example of how design can act both responsively and responsibly — restoring connections between people, community, and the planet.
Presentation Video
Image Source: © 2020 Junya Ishigami & Associates, Japan
© 2020 Anna Heringer, Laufen
