University of Tokyo, G30 Architecture and Urbanism

Introduction and Overview

The Global 30 Architecture and Urban Design Course at the University of Tokyo is dedicated to the interdisciplinary design research connecting architecture, engineering and computations to explore the emerging discourses on architecture and urbanism. It seeks to develop and speculate new knowledge for architecture where the practice of design engages in both social constructs and material performances. It aims to explore the potential of architecture as the essential element to generate new ideas of and for the ever-evolving built environments.

The Global 30 Architecture and Urban Design at the Department of Architecture is a postgraduate course conducted in English, established as an experimental laboratory to explore contemporary design research on architecture. The ambitions of the course is to provide a platform for collaborations between various research laboratories within the Department of Architecture and also within the School of Engineering linking design practices with scientific research projects.

The focus of the course is the development of comprehensive design proposals exploring the interconnectivity of building systems including issues of structures, materials, environments, spatial logic and socio-cultural parameters. It systematically examines and speculates on the rapidly emerging and evolving contemporary built environments and its design challenges through both theoretical and specific architectural design investigations leading to a rigorous Design Thesis Project.

The Global 30 Architecture and Urban Design is a two-year course leading to a Master of Engineering in Architecture. It is structured as a two-phase course with the first three semesters organized as a taught course including Seminar Courses and Design Studios with Workshops followed by an individually lead semester concluding in the submission of Design Thesis Project with a written document of the project.