Winner of Excellence Award from the Hospitality Design Category, Architect Jeravej Hongsakul 

Hosted by NPO Aoyama Design Forum (ADF), the "ADF Design Award 2026" has chosen architect Jeravej Hongsakul, who received the Excellence Award in the Hospitality category. He shares insights into the background of the awarded project and his design process.

Jeravej Hongsakul

Could you tell us about your background as an architect?

Since I was young, I enjoyed reading science fiction, watching sci-fi movies, building LEGO, drawing, and creating comic books for my friends. When I was about 12 years old, I saw a picture of "Fallingwater" by Frank Lloyd Wright in a magazine at the library. I was very excited that there was actually a house with a waterfall flowing through it, and that it was so beautiful. I took that picture to my teacher and asked what I should study if I wanted to design a house like this. The teacher told me to become an architect. From that moment on, I decided to follow this path. When I actually studied architecture, I immediately felt that it suited me very well, because it is a field where art, imagination, and reason work together in a tangible way.

Within architecture, are there particular fields or project phases in which you specialize?

I work on many types of projects, but mainly hospitality and residential projects, which make up a large proportion of my portfolio. I see that every phase of the design process is important. However, the phase I am most skilled at and enjoy the most is the early stage of interpreting the brief, because at that stage there is no clear answer yet. We have to listen to the site, listen to the owner, listen to the constraints, and gradually find the most appropriate possibilities so that the project can move in the right direction.

When generating ideas, what inspires you, and do you have any personal methods or philosophies for organizing your thoughts and developing concepts?

I see architecture as the art of problem-solving, where beauty and function come together to create better living. Therefore, the first thing is that the project must work. I always think about how that piece of architecture should respond to different factors, and which aspect should be given priority — context, program, functionality, or user experience. Each project has a different balance. I usually choose methods that are simple, clear, and are solutions that contain their own beauty, rather than trying to make them look beautiful afterward.

What kinds of creative fields outside of architecture interest you? Do you ever incorporate them into your architectural work?

I really like science. You could say I was a science nerd since I was young. I see science as something that begins with imagination and then finds answers by proving them with logic. Film and music (I used to play drums) are also fields that I am very interested in. I often compare them with design when talking with clients, because it is easier to understand when we use other disciplines that people are already familiar with.

Could you share the background of your awarded project and the process that led to its completion?

This project was an attempt to combine constraints, the owner’s requirements, brand communication, and site conditions into one single answer. The project did not start from what I wanted to design, but from understanding what this project should become. By carefully interpreting the given information, the architectural answer naturally emerges.

What kind of work would you like to create in the future?

I prefer projects that are not large in scale, because I can fully develop the details and control the quality of the space more carefully. I would like to create work that focuses on the experience between users and space. Whether it is a small house or a public space, if it can create a good experience, I consider it successful. I aim not to make projects bigger, but clearer.

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What are your impressions of ADF?

ADF Awards is an international platform that values thinking process, context, functionality, and innovation more than outward appearance. This aligns with the way I work. For me, this award is not only an honor, but also an opportunity to exchange perspectives internationally.