Latest Winners
Bamboo Housing at “Smartphone Prices”:
Supporting Refugees and Revitalizing Communities
Nikkei Inc. has awarded the Grand Prize of the 4th NIKKEI ASIA AWARD to Housing NOW, a Myanmar-based startup constructing bamboo housing. By utilizing eco-friendly bamboo, the company offers affordable housing that can be built in a short timeframe. Housing NOW has constructed shelters and clinics at a cost starting from 1,000USD per unit, while involving low-income individuals in the manufacturing process to help revitalize local communities.
Raphaël Ascoli (left) and Kyaw Zin Latt, co-founders of Housing NOW
Tackling Social Challenges
Housing NOW was founded in response to the 2021 political upheaval in Myanmar. Co-founders Raphaël Ascoli, a French architect, and Kyaw Zin Latt, a Myanmar bamboo-processing expert, established the company to provide housing and clinics for the country’s rapidly growing population of displaced people.
In the bamboo housing project in Mandalay, central Myanmar, refugees are invited to participate in construction work, offering them a short-term employment opportunity that fosters both a sense of fulfillment and skill transfer. This initiative not only aids community rebuilding but also supports the personal recovery of displaced individuals.
Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Construction
The bamboo used by Housing NOW is sourced from villages across Myanmar. As a fast-growing and renewable material, bamboo provides local residents with a sustainable source of income. The construction facilities process bamboo with pest treatments and prefabrication techniques to enhance durability and cost efficiency.
At Housing NOW’s facilities, bamboo undergoes pest treatment and prefabrication processes to enhance its durability and cost efficiency. These steps not only ensure the longevity of the structures but also enable quicker assembly, allowing the company to address urgent housing needs more effectively.
International Recognition and Future Prospects
Housing NOW’s efforts have received international acclaim. In 2022, the company was selected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s “MIT Solve” initiative. In 2023, Ascoli was recognized by UNICEF as one of the “Young Climate Innovators Shaping the Future.”
While Myanmar’s per capita GDP remains just over 1,000USD, the country is regarded as a “high-growth potential nation” due to its large young population. Ascoli has expressed his aspiration to “contribute to rebuilding the nation through bamboo” and continues to call for international collaboration.
5th Winner
2025
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Remarks from the Chairman of the Advisory Board
Practicality, Skill Transmission, and Innovation at Its Core
Fujio Mitarai
Chairman & CEO / Canon Inc.
The 4th NIKKEI ASIA AWARD recognized Housing NOW, a Myanmar-based organization building bamboo housing, as the winner from among 107 nominations submitted by countries and regions across Asia.
Since the military coup in February 2021, over three million people in Myanmar have become internally displaced, losing their homes. Addressing this dire situation, Housing NOW was established in October of the same year. The organization employs a hybrid construction approach that combines bamboo—a readily available material—with prefabrication and community participation in the building process. Co-founded by French architect Raphaël Ascoli and Myanmar’s bamboo-crafting expert Kyaw Zin Latt, the organization also recruits much of its workforce from domestic refugee camps. Housing NOW’s initiative stands out for its refined architectural design, exceptional practicality, and its commitment to passing on technical skills to refugees, embodying innovative characteristics.
Looking at the world today, unfortunately, an increasing number of people face housing crises due to conflicts and natural disasters. Bamboo, which grows abundantly across Asia, Africa, and the Americas, holds great potential for solving such problems worldwide. In fact, Housing NOW is already exploring the possibility of exporting its technology to countries like Madagascar. One can only hope that initiatives like this, which uphold human dignity, will continue to expand globally.
This year marks the fourth NIKKEI ASIA AWRAD. Since its inception, the awards have honored diverse and groundbreaking initiatives, including a cultured shrimp meat startup, a company designing and manufacturing menstrual products, an e-commerce platform empowering rural women, and now Housing NOW. The winning organizations have also spanned an increasingly broad geographic range, from Singapore to India, Indonesia, and Myanmar.
With each passing year, the quality of the nominees’ activities has noticeably improved, a testament to the growing recognition of this award across the Asian region. The advisory board faced tough decisions in selecting the winner among all equally deserving finalists, each of whom demonstrated universal value. As Chair of the Advisory Board, I look forward to continuing to discover and celebrate emerging innovators driving transformative change.