News

Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President Executive Officer: Satoko Okano) has received an Encouragement Award in the Urban Space Dept. of the 2026 Urban Urban Landscape Award for the "Futaba Station West Residential Area," in which they were involved in the design.

The "Urban Landscape Award" is a system established by the "Urban Landscape Day" Executive Committee (sponsored by the Ministry of Land, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) to recognize districts and areas that have created outstanding urban landscapes and activities related to the landscape, as part of its efforts to promote and raise awareness in order to create better regional landscapes and to serve as an opportunity for initiatives that will lead to regional revitalization.

photo by Kenya Chiba

■ About the "Futaba Station West Residential Area"
The Futaba Station West Housing Area is a residential area of approximately 6.1 hectares located at the west exit of Futaba Station on the JR Joban Line in Futaba Town, Futaba District, Fukushima Prefecture. Following the partial lifting of evacuation orders in August 2022 in the difficult-to-return zone due to the nuclear power plant accident, 30 public housing units and 56 rebuilt rental housing units were constructed as a "new living space" in Futaba Town's reconstruction plan.
This area was planned as a residential area where returning residents and new residents can support each other and foster natural interaction, based on the concept of "a livelihood settlement nurtured by friends and family, embraced in the valley of Shioya."

■ Contents of the judging comments
The project was praised for its thoughtful design, which encourages encounters and interactions between people, from the station square and walking paths to the patios under the eaves, the alleys, and even the earthen floors of the individual houses. It was also commended for reflecting the original landscape of the valley and the streetscape of the settlement in the building layout and architecture.

For further details, please refer to the press release from Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/toshi10_hh_000613.html

Furthermore, the Futaba Station West Housing Area also received Good Design Award in 2025 as part of the "Futaba Station West Housing: Futaba Station West Area Disaster Relief Public Housing Development Project."

Press release: "Ekimae Housing: Futaba Station West Side District Disaster Relief Public Housing Development Project" has received the 2025 Good Design Award.
https://en.pacific.co.jp/news/2025/20251021-002670.html

Pacific Consultants will utilize the expertise it has cultivated in this area—in spatial design that takes advantage of the region's unique topography and landscape, and in creating living environments that encourage interaction among people—in future reconstruction and urban development projects and regional revitalization.