Travelling Studio Japan (ABPL90444)

Japan Studio 2025 examines the role of design, architecture and landscape in community sustainability, ecological regeneration, and creative place-making. Students will study the phenomena of the Japanese countryside to seek inspiration and potential while responding to  contemporary social and environmental challenges. Japan is one of the first countries to enter into a post-growth society and needs alternative design approaches that acknowledge and work within the limits of growth. We are interested in human-scale design that draws on local and available resources, indigenous knowledge, and local materials. As a multi-disciplinary studio, collaboration will be at the forefront of our design approach. Students will conduct initial research and undertake fieldwork together before working on their project of choice.  

The studio site centres on several island communities in the Seto Inland Sea.  These small islands are facing shrinkage and depopulation leading to an increase in vacant houses, abandoned farmland, and empty schools. At the same time, the islands are experiencing a rise in tourism and are committed to building new facilities including a ‘Michi no Eki’, a multi-use facility to showcase local produce and become a hub for both tourists and residents. We will work together with Kamijima Town staff and the local community to propose ideas for a Michi no Eki as well as additional programmes based on each student’s research and inquiry. 

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate experience in international collaboration.
• Identify and engage critically with specific cultural practices, industrial contexts and socio-technical traditions.
• Apply systematic and creative thinking in problem-solving through hands-on design and construction processes in specific locations.
• Build intercultural competence (interdisciplinary and cross-cultural learning) through engaging with an internationalised curriculum.

Generic skills

• Identification of emergent trends and practices in contemporary Japan
• Understanding of relevant social and environmental issues in rural Japan
• Apply research skills and knowledge in new contexts
• Use of sketches and diagrams to analyse, design and communicate
• Develop cross-cultural awareness and understanding
• Collaborative skills with a multi-disciplinary approach