Two Projects Designed by Nikken Sekkei Win First Place in 2025 ASHRAE Technology Awards

Two Nikken Sekkei-designed projects earned accolades at the 2025 ASHRAE Technology Awards. HD Hyundai Global R&D Center (GRC) took first place in the “Category I: Commercial Buildings - New” division, while Kyoto City Hall Annex Building also garnered first place in the “Category II: Other Institutional - New” segment. Winners were announced on February 8 at the Hilton Orlando in Florida. Senior executive officer Kitaro Mizuide and other project members attended the awards ceremony.

Established in 1999 by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) to promote the advancement and development of technology related to air conditioning, sanitation engineering, and refrigeration. The award recognizes achievements, building design and projects that contribute to global warming prevention and commissioning process in the areas of occupant comfort, indoor air quality and energy conservation.

*ASHRAE is an international society of heating, refrigerating and air-conditioning professionals.

First Place, CategoryⅠ: Commercial Buildings – New

Located in Seongnam, South Korea, the HD GRC project focuses on wellness, energy and communication, and integrates a geometric design with a CUBE/VOID/GRID structure with a facility system. Its “Geometric MEP System Design” yields a number of synergistic effects. With its steel outframe cladding and radiant heating and cooling technology, the building achieved a 40%+ energy savings over comparable Korean structures. Through quantitative verification of the effects, we found that the findings can be widely referenced not only in South Korea, but also in regions with similar climates.

Client: HD Hyundai
Architect: Nikken Sekkei Ltd, Heerim Architects & Planners Co., Ltd.

First Place, CategoryⅡ: Other Institutional – New

The Kyoto City Hall Annex Building project in Kyoto, a Japanese “environmental model city,” employs an innovative energy-saving air conditioning method that utilizes heat converted from natural energy sources such as local groundwater and forests. From the standpoint of landscape preservation, the project’s integrated radiant air conditioning systems, etc. are suited to building height restrictions, yielding an energy-efficient government building that is uniquely Kyoto.

Client: Kyoto City
Architect: Nikken Sekkei Ltd