Japan

Japan Studio

This Spring Quarter program is offered every other year. Students travel during Spring Break to Japan exploring both traditional and modern architecture visiting cities such as Tokyo, Sendai, Nara, and Kyoto.  Studio coursework is completed back in Seattle during the Spring Quarter.  Contact: Ken Tadashi Oshima.

The current course offered during Spring 2011 is as follows:

InBEtween Climate and Built Environments
Designing for Urgent Change on the Pacific Rim

Ken Tadashi Oshima, Associate Professor, Architecture
Thaisa Way, Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture

This BE LAB addresses the global challenge of climate change and the more localized dilemma of designing for indeterminacy and change. We considered the urgency of responsible and responsive design to engage both immediate and future needs of Pacific Rim cities. The BE Lab responded to the predictions of rising waters through urban and architectural design in Pacific Rim cities including those in Japan (through travel during Spring Break for onsite investigation) and Seattle (onsite research and design). This studio focused on creating an interpretive research center in Seattle for scientists, artists, designers, and thinkers to address challenges of climate change in the urban landscapes of the Pacific Rim.

UW-Kobe University Exchange Program

This student exchange is open to graduate students who have finished their degree coursework and wish to pursue thesis research in Japan at Kobe University for 18 months. Students should plan ahead if interested in applying to this program by taking a Japanese language course, Japanese architectural history courses, and or participating in another Japan study opportunity. Contact:  Ken Tadashi Oshima