Press Release
Bronze A' Design Award in Idea and Conceptual Design Goes to Memorial Capsule Pet Urn by Paul Heredia and Hiromi Komiyama
Paul Heredia and Hiromi Komiyama recognized for idea and conceptual design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Memorial Capsule Pet Urn by Paul Heredia and Hiromi Komiyama, designed for Dainichido Inc., has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Idea and Conceptual Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
More About Memorial Capsule Pet Urn
This biodegradable pet urn is designed to provide a gentle and continuous farewell. Inspired by Japanese home memorial traditions and natural burials, it offers a sustainable way to honor life. The two-part structure with a threaded lid secures ashes for display or burial, while a small charm remains with the owner as a keepsake. Crafted from bioplastic with powdered oyster shells, the urn naturally returns to the earth. Its matte finish and soft contours invite touch, offering comfort and rituals during grief.
About Paul Heredia and Hiromi Komiyama
Heredia Komiyama is a firm dedicated to creating value through design, with a primary focus on product development. Its practice is defined by breaking down boundaries between disciplines, seamlessly connecting product design, architecture, interior design, and brand identity. Founded in 2014 by Paul Heredia and Hiromi Komiyama, the firm operates out of Madrid, Spain and Hiroshima, Japan. Heredia Komiyama has received international design recognition and works in collaboration with manufacturers, institutions, and craft-based industries. Through its projects, the firm develops products and environments that respond to contemporary cultural and industrial contexts.
Award Record
This recognition makes Paul Heredia and Hiromi Komiyama a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Idea and Conceptual Design Award
The A' Idea Design Award is an international idea design competition recognizing great ideas by designers, creators, innovators and free thinkers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to idea designers, conceptual designers, innovation consultants and creative thinkers from all countries. Typical entries include innovations, prototypes, blueprints, sketches, models and concepts. The awarded idea designs are published at https://desingers.org/design-category/idea
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://desingers.org/175843
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/175843
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!175843
- Laureate Profile: https://desingers.org/d/372422
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://anpets.jp/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Memorial Capsule Pet Urn
- Function
- Pet Urn
- Category
- Idea and Conceptual Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Design Industry and Innovation
- Colors
- Rosy Brown, Silver, Peru, Dim Gray and Light Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Dainichido Inc.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Paul Heredia and Hiromi Komiyama
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #175843
Credits
- Team
- Paul Heredia and Hiromi Komiyama
- Image Credits
- Photographer Tatsuya Tabii, 2024.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This product is a biodegradable urn supporting grieving pet owners through a gentle, continuous farewell. Inspired by Japanese home memorials and natural burials, it offers an intimate, sustainable way to honor life. A two-part structure with threaded lid keeps ashes secure while allowing burial with the urn; a small charm stays with the owner. Made from bioplastic with powdered oyster shells, it naturally biodegrades. Warm matte texture and soft contours invite touch, easing grief.
- Inspiration
- The design was inspired by the emotional gap many pet owners face after loss: the absence of meaningful mourning rituals. Drawing on Japanese customs of keeping ashes at home and the emerging practice of natural burials, it enables a continuous, personal farewell from collection to burial. Insights from grief care research and dialogues with bereaved owners shaped the structure, materials, and tactile qualities, offering a nature-connected and emotionally supportive alternative to traditional urns.
- Research
- This qualitative design research identified a lack of meaningful mourning rituals for bereaved pet owners. Through literature review, cultural analysis, and interviews, we examined emotional changes, recovery processes, and posthumous communication with pets. Insights informed the form, structure, and materials, designing not only a physical urn but also a process that naturally supports emotional healing through use.
- Challenge
- The main challenge was designing an urn that fosters emotional healing while redefining traditional perceptions of memorialization. We overcame difficulties in translating intangible emotions into tangible design features, integrating Japanese home memorial traditions with natural burial practices. External limits included sourcing and molding a biodegradable yet durable material, and ensuring a secure screw-top structure without sacrificing warmth and tactility.
- Realization and Technology
- This urn is made from ECOSHELL, a biodegradable material created by blending finely crushed oyster shells into a biomass-based resin. Its lid and base are joined with a precisely engineered screw thread, ensuring the contents remain secure even if the urn is tipped over, an advantage over conventional urns. A small charm, crafted from an alloy of silver, copper, and gold, remains with the owner as a keepsake. The urn itself has a warm matte texture and soft contours, inviting touch, fostering new rituals, and easing the pain of loss.
- Operation and Interaction
- After cremation, the pet’s ashes are placed into the urn and taken home. It can be kept nearby for home memorialization, with the charm attached as a daily reminder. Owners can hold, stroke, or speak to it as they would in life, offering comfort and time for grieving. When ready, the ashes and urn can be buried to return to nature, while the charm is removed and kept close as a lasting keepsake.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project commenced in October 2022 in Hiroshima, Japan, where planning and development took place, and the design was completed in June 2023. Released in March 2025, it continues to be available.
- Specifications
- Urn dimensions Diameter 120 x H195 mm, capacity approximately 950 cc. Total weight (urn and charm) approximately 420 g. Charm size varies by design. Made from ECOSHELL (bioplastic with powdered oyster shells), charm crafted in silver, copper, and gold alloy. Two-part body with threaded lid ensures stability and prevents accidental spillage. Matte finish and soft contours enhance tactile comfort. Packaging for urn: W170 x H246 x D140 mm, for charm: W80 x H80 x D35 mm.
- Keywords
- pet urn, pet memorial, biodegradable urn, grief care, eco-friendly design, sustainable product, natural burial, oyster shell bioplastic, home memorial, tactile design
