Obayashi PrizeRecipient of the Fourteenth Obayashi Prize
(2026)
Ms.Kotchakorn VORAAKHOMHonorary Doctor of Landscape Architecture, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
A leading voice in global climate resilience design, specializing in solutions for dense, vulnerable urban contexts in Southeast Asia.
Visionary founder of LANDPROCESS and the Porous City Network, creating porous, water-absorbing public spaces to help cities adapt to extreme weather.
Recognized globally for transformative projects—including Bangkok's first climate-adaptive park, pioneering Asia's largest organic rooftop farm, converting an abandoned bridge into city's landmark river sky park, and applying nature-based solutions to Thailand's largest government complex—with accolades such as a UN Climate Action Award and a spot on the TIME 100 Next, BBC 100 Women, Bloomberg Green 30. A TED Fellow and appointed member of the World Economic Forum's Global Commission on Nature Positive Cities, holding a master's from Harvard University and an honorary docorate.
Reason for receiving the prize
She has demonstrated exceptional leadership in re-envisioning the fundamental relationship between urban environments, the lives of the people within them, and the essential presence of “water,” which profoundly shapes both.
Her unwavering dedication to every project—balancing a flexible approach with an uncompromising pursuit of environmental quality—exemplifies a level of perseverance, passion, and professional excellence worthy of the highest recognition. The message she conveys from Asia, and particularly from Thailand, possesses a unique power to inspire audiences in Japan, across the broader Asian region, and around the world, fostering a growing circle of support and solidarity.