Archinect - Advanced Design Studies, The University of Tokyo

STRATEGIC PARTNER VISIT: ETH ZURICH

2017-04-04T04:34:49-04:00

Staff and students from Obuchi lab had the pleasure of participating in a review at ETH Zurich this March. The visit was an excellent chance for the UTokyo team to learn about the organization and activities at ETH, and an opportunity for researchers at both institutions to exchange views. PhD students and researchers from Obuchi Lab and Gramazio Kohler Research of ETH Zurich conducted a joint presentation at ETH Zurich's newly constructed NCCR facility. Followed by the presentations, UTokyo students and researchers were given a series of demonstrations of robotic applications in digital fabrications.

JOINT REVIEW: ITSUKO HASEGAWA GALLERY

2017-03-22T23:00:40-04:00

On Monday, March 20, we were pleased to participate in a joint studio review at Itsuko Hasegawa’s gallery. The event, organized by TーADS, brought together five universities: Princeton University, Washington University, Tsinghua University, Nagoya Institute of Technology, and the University of Tokyo. Hasegawa gave a keynote talk at the beginning of the review.

EXHIBITION: IMPRIMER le MONDE (Printing the World), CENTRE POMPIDOU

2017-03-14T22:56:03-04:00

TーADS is proud to announce the work of alumni Kevin Clement and Anders Rod is being featured at the Centre Pompidou Museum in Paris, France. The exhibit, originally conceived as the Harvesting Plasticity graduate research project, is a hanging work featured as a part of the Mutations/Créations event. The event aims to bring together design, architecture, and music.

This work is included as a part of the Imprimer le Monde exhibition, a collection of works exploring the use of the digital for 3D creations.

Mutations / Créations
Imprimer le Monde, A Collective Exhibition
Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
15 March – 19 June, 2017
Galerie 4, level 1

(Mutations / Créations details via Centre Pompidou)

Project Credits
University of Tokyo Advanced Design Studies Unit (TーADS)
Professors: Yusuke Obuchi, Kengo Kuma, Manabu Chiba
Core research: Kevin Clement, Anders Rod
Project Coordinator: Kevin Clement
Project Team: Jiang Lai, Deborah Lopez, Hadin Charbel, Mika Portugaise, Chen Xiaoke, Ruta Stankeviciute, Hi...

FOUR FACETS OF CONTEMPORARY JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE: THEORYーINTRODUCTORY VIDEOS AVAILABLE

2017-02-22T21:09:02-05:00

The Advanced Design Studies Program at the University of Tokyo's Department of Architecture is pleased to announce that introductory videos for each of the lectures in the free edX course "Four Facets of Contemporary Japanese Architecture: Theory" are now publicly available.

The course is taught by Kengo Kuma and Yusuke Obuchi, and is conducted through a series of interviews with other leading Japanese architects. Materials are delivered in Japanese with English subtitles.

The theory course features discussions with: Kazuyo Sejima, Kengo Kuma, Hidetoshi Ohno, Terunobu Fujimori, Hisao Kohyama, and Arata Isozaki. It also includes an introductory session to Kenzo Tange by Kengo Kuma.

Please see the introductory videos below. For further details and for access to all lecture content, please visit the edX page.

For more information about the Advanced Design Studies program at the University of Tokyo, please visit t-ads.org. Follow our activities on our student blog, Twitter, Facebook, and In...

2017/18 Admission OPEN until November 25th

2016-10-18T04:19:57-04:00

Admission for the 2017/2018 academic year is now open.

In order to complete your application, it is necessary to complete both online and postal submission of documents.

Admission Information: http://www.global30.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/g30_hp/architecture-and-urban-design.html#guidance

Start your application here: https://t-cens.iapply.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/t-cens/login_screening.php

Application Guide: https://t-cens.iapply.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/guidance_information/

ONLINE APPLICATION

Initial online registration period (create your T-cens account during this period): Between September 14th, 2016 and November 25th, 2016
Deadline for data entry and document upload: By November 25th, 2016

POSTAL APPLICATION

All documents must be postmarked: On or before November 30th, 2016
All documents must reach the Global 30 office: No later than December 5th, 2016.

FINAL RESULT NOTIFICATION

March 2017

Find further information about the course and the University of Tokyo:

Department of Architecture: http://arch.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp...

[Free Online Course] Four Facets of Contemporary Japanese Architecture: Theory

2016-08-03T05:07:47-04:00

T_ADS is pleased to present a free online course available worldwide via edX.

Four Facets of Contemporary Japanese Architecture

First Facet: Theory

The course is presented by Kengo Kuma and Yusuke Obuchi, who have invited other leading Japanese architects to participate.

Course materials are presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

Framed between the two Tokyo Olympics of 1964 and 2020, this series will explore and reflect on the diversity of contemporary Japanese architecture by focusing on four facets: theory, technology, city, and humans.

Through lectures by instructors and discussions with some of the most influential Japanese architects, the course will trace the development of contemporary Japanese architecture and will consider its future direction.

First Facet: Theory

Course Schedule:

July 31: Introduction

August 7: Arata Isozaki, Hisao Kohyama

August 14: Terunobu Fujimori, Hidetoshi Ohno

August 21: Kengo Kuma, Kazuyo Sejima

August 28: Conclusion

For additional details and enrollmen...

In Progress: 2015 DFL Research Pavilion

2015-08-26T04:50:34-04:00

The prototyping phase for 2015 DFL Research Pavilion is under way. The proposed structure is made out of polyurethane foam deployed three-dimensionally by an originally designed hand-held tool. The research navigates between human craftsmanship and mechanical precision, mediated by computation technology. The students are engaged in constructing a large-scale maquette to test variables before the final construction of the final pavilion in November. Stay tuned.

July 7, 2015: Lecture "Moody Objects" by Matias del Campo, University of Michigan

2015-07-08T04:26:52-04:00

On July 7th, 2015, it was our pleasure to have Matias del Campo, Associate Professor of Architecture at the Taubman College School of Architecture, University of Michigan, to present his lecture entitled "Moody Objects."

Biography:

Chilean born and Austrian native, Matias del Campo graduated with distinction from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, Austria. In 2003 he co-founded SPAN Architects in Vienna, together with Sandra Manninger. The globally acting practice is best known for their sophisticated application of contemporary technologies in architectural production. Their award winning architectural designs are informed by Baroque geometries, romantic atmospheres, and biological systems. Matias del Campo´s obsessive explorations of contemporary moods are fueled by the opulent repertoire of materialization in nature in combination with cutting edge technologies, as well as form as a driving force in design at large. Apart of his role as head of design at SPAN Architects Mati...

July 7th, 2015: Toyoda-Ichikawa Final Review

2015-07-08T04:19:12-04:00

On June 7 2015, T_ADS conducted a joint final view for the undergraduate studio with two sections, each taught by Keisuke Toyoda of NOIZ ARCHITECTS and Sota Ichikawa of doubleNegatives Architecture.

Joint-Workshop with Princeton

2015-06-09T06:24:30-04:00

Every year, T_ADS and Princeton School of Architecture organize joint-workshops for cross-exchange of architectural history, theory and concepts. This year, the joint-workshops centered around the theoretical texts by Hiroshi Hara, Arata Isozaki, and Fumihiko Maki, followed by student visits to their office and intimate interviews. The scenes below are from the reading group discussion before visiting the architects.

June 4 2015: Lecture "Staging the Confederacy: History, Geometry, and a Hint from Isozaki" by Todd Gannon

2015-06-09T06:10:30-04:00

On June 2nd and 3rd, 2015, we welcomed Todd Gannon, from SCI-Arc, to present us with his lecture, entitled "Staging the Confederacy: History, Geometry, and a Hint from Isozaki."

T_ADS, SCI-Arc and Princeton students attended the lecture and enjoyed a round of discussion afterwards. Good times were had by all. Please join us next time.

June 2, 2015: Lectures entitled "Points of Inflection" and "The Task of the Translator" by Thomas Daniell

2015-06-09T06:05:09-04:00

On June 2nd and 3rd, 2015, it was our pleasure to have Thomas Daniell, from University of Saint Joseph in Macau, join us for a two-part lecture events.

The first lecture by Thomas was entitled "Points of Inflection."

The second lecture was presented under the theme of "The Task of the Translator."

Many students attended the lectures and they were followed by lively rounds of Q&A. Good times were had by all. Please join us next time.

Exciting Series of Lectures June 2~8th

2015-06-02T22:34:05-04:00

We are hosting the symposium "The Saga of Continuous Architecture" on next Saturday and Sunday (for more info, please see http://t-ads.org/?p=206)

Related to the event, we have multiple upcoming lectures next week:

June 2nd 10:00-12:00 (at UTokyo, Engineer bldg.1 415 ADS Room)
"Points of Inflection"
Thomas Daniell (University of Saint Joseph)

June 3rd 18:00-20:00 (at UTokyo, Engineer bldg.1 Lecture room 15)
"The Task of the Translator"
Thomas Daniell (University of Saint Joseph)

June 4th 18:00-20:00 (at UTokyo, Engineer bldg.1 415 ADS Room)
"Staging the Confederacy: History, Geometry, and a Hint from Isozaki"
Todd Gannon (SCI-Arc)

June 5th 18:00-20:00 (at Shimizu corp) Attention: reservation needed (send your name to sekkeikikaku@shimz.co.jp by June 3rd)
"Alejandro Zaera-Polo Lecture at Shimizu"
Alejandro Zaera-Polo (Princeton University)

June 6th 12:30-14:00 (at UTokyo, Engineer bldg.1 415 ADS Room)
"City Everywhere: Kim Kardashian and the Dark Side of the Screen"
Liam Young (Princeton University...

May 18th, 2015: Direction of the DFL Research Pavilion

2015-05-28T11:13:04-04:00

On May 18th, all DFL staff from T_ADS Obuchi Lab, Prof. Igarashi (computer science), Prof. Sato (structural engineering), and their respective lab members were joined by this year's collaboration partner, Takenaka Corporation, to debate and decide on the direction of the DFL Research Pavilion. Stay in tuned for the announcement of this year's DFL Research Pavilion proposal!

May 8th, 2015: DFL (1st year students) Mid-Term Review with the Sponsor, Takenaka Corporation

2015-05-14T22:01:39-04:00

On May 8th, 1st year students in DFL had their mid-term review joined by this year's pavilion sponsor, Takenaka Corporation. We were also joined by collaborators, Prof. Igarashi (computer science) and Prof. Sato (structural engineering), and there were lively and informative exchanges between them and students. The members from Takenaka Corporation asked many pointed questions from the pragmatic and constructional perspectives, which students will incorporate into their final pavilion design and proposal.

From this point onwards, together with Igarashi-Lab, Sato-Lab, and Takenaka Corporation, we will select one direction, and first year students in Digital Fabrication Lab (DFL) will work collectively on one pavilion project. Stay tuned for which pavilion will get built this year!

May 11th, 2015: "From Pulsation to Feedback" Lecture by Eric Goldemberg of MONAD Studio

2015-05-08T07:16:05-04:00

On May 11th, 2015, we are very fortunate to have Eric Goldemberg of MONAD Studio join us for a lecture event.

It will be held at ADS Studio Room 415, Hongo Campus, at 16:00~17:30.

*Open to public, please feel free to join.

MONAD Studio was founded in 2002 by Design Principals Eric Goldemberg and Veronica Zalcberg.

MONAD Studio is an award-winning architecture practice focused in spatial perception related to rhythmic affect, with explorations ranging from the scale of urban plans to buildings, and from landscape to installations and product design.

MONAD Studio’s designs highlight the range and complexity of sensations involved in constructing rhythmic ensembles at all scale sof the urban experience. The work of MONAD Studio has been published in The New York Times, Architectural Record, World Architecture (China), ‘Architecture in Formation’ book, ‘[En]Coding Architecture’ book, ‘Architecture Xenoculture’ book, 'Digital Diagram II' book, Conditions Magazine (Norway), i4Design (Chica...

April 20th, 2015: Structural Engineering Lecture 03 by Professor Jun Sato, the University of Tokyo

2015-04-23T22:03:14-04:00

Professor Jun Sato gave a comprehensive structures lecture for the first year students. He showed the students many renowned projects and experiments that has pushed the boundaries of structural engineering possibilities.
After which, each student team conducted a bending moment test and Prof. Sato advised them on calculations, further tests, and possible improvements.
In the future, these collaborators and experts will join us as jury members to select the final design for this year's 2015 DFL research pavilion.

April 13th, 2015: Structural Engineering Lecture 02 by Mika Araki of Jun Sato Lab, the University of Tokyo

2015-04-20T03:32:36-04:00

Mika Araki from Jun Sato Lab gave the first of lecture series on structural engineering for the first year students. She presented them with how to conduct various material tests, but particularly on bending. Each project has its own material property relevant to design, and thus, it is important to listen and learn from the experts. Later, these experts we invited for lectures will also join us as jury members to select the final design of this year's DFL research pavilion 2015.

March 17th, 2015: Yokohama Redux - T_ADS seminar presentation

2015-03-19T22:24:41-04:00

As a part of an event, "Yokohama Redux: The Saga of Continuous Architecture" on March 17th at Hongo Campus, the semester-long seminar course at the University of Tokyo presented their research and manifestos. The event consisted of mid-term presentations by design studios at Princeton, U-Penn, Columbia, and Nagoya Institute of Technology, joined by a seminar from the University of Tokyo. The topic of the studios and the seminar was to revisit Yokohama International Ferry Terminal Competition, marking its 20th anniversary, in order to examine and develop the concept of Continuous architecture, which was a base of winning proposal by FOA.

The event was a full-house and followed by a lively science-fair format discussions.

Please join us for this event next year.

March 17th, 2015: Yokohama Redux - Special Guest Lecture

2015-03-15T21:51:47-04:00

We are hosting an event "Yokohama Redux: The Saga of Continuous Architecture" on March17th at The University of Tokyo.

After the mid-term review of design studios, we will have a marathon lecture series by Florian Busch, David Erdman and Tohru Horiguchi who will talk about issues on the concept of single surface/continuous architecture.

"Continuity and Difference" - Florian Busch

"underpressure" - David Erdman

"Single surface as an open function: Learning from the writings of Jeffrey Kipnis" - Tohru Horiguchi

THE EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO PUBLIC

When:
Special Guest Lectures: March 17th (Tuesday) from 17:00-19:30

Where:
Special Guest Lectures: Faculty of Engineering, Bldg#1, ADS Studio 415

March 17th, 2015: Yokohama Redux - The Saga of Continuous Architecture

2015-03-13T05:31:22-04:00

We are hosting an event "Yokohama Redux: The Saga of Continuous Architecture" on March 17th at The University of Tokyo.
The event consists of mid-term review of design studios at Princeton, U-Penn and Columbia taught by Jesse Reiser and Nanako Umemoto, joined by a design studio from Nagoya Institute of Technology and a research seminar from the University of Tokyo. The topic of the studios and the seminar is to revisit Yokohama International Ferry Terminal Competition which marks 15 years anniversary this year and examine and develop the concept of Continuous architecture which was a base of winning proposal by FOA.
We are also organizing a marathon lecture series by Florian Busch, David Erdman and Tohru Horiguchi who will talk about issues on the concept of single surface/continuous architecture.

THE EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO PUBLIC

When:
Joint-Reviews: March 17th (Tuesday) from 13:00-16:00
Special Guest Lectures: March 17th (Tuesday) from 17:00-19:30

Where:
Joint-Reviews: Faculty of Eng...

March 9th, 1st and 2nd Year Presentations with Thomas Weaver of AA School

2015-03-10T21:50:32-04:00

On March 9th, Thomas Weaver of AA School joined us for the 1st and 2nd year studio presentations.

We were very fortunate to have Thomas Weaver join us as a guest critic for presentations by the 1st and 2nd Year Studios, respectively dealing with the design for Digital Fabrication Laboratory Pavilion and urban scenarios for Sustainable Prototyping Laboratory. Thomas offered very fresh and constructive critique from the stand point of history and theory. This was followed by a lively, engaging discussion and a lecture by Thomas Weaver titled, "ALPHABET."

Thomas Weaver teaches at the AA School of Architecture in London, where he also edits all of the AA's books and journals, including the award-winning title, AA Files.

March 9th, 2015: "ALPHABET" Lecture by Thomas Weaver of AA School

2015-03-08T23:59:28-04:00

On March 9th, T_ADS will host a lecture by Thomas Weaver.

Title: ALPHABET

This talk will be structured around an alphabet of 26 key images, from A through to Z, Albers through to to Zebra, that have appeared over the last eight years through the pages of the architectural journal AA Files. Each image will be presented not only through its immediate place within the journal, but through its pictorial, anecdotal, historiographic and iconographic architectural associations. The effect, hopefully, will be of a varied and eclectic architecture in 26 parts, yet one that still somehow suggests the singularity of a unified, whole project.

Thomas Weaver teaches at the AA School of Architecture in London, where he also edits all of the AA's books and journals, including the award-winning title, AA Files.

When: March 9th (Monday) from 14:00-15:30

Where: The University of Tokyo, Hongo Campus, Faculty of Engineering, Bldg#1, ADS Studio 415

February 13th, 2015: Lecture by Yuta Sugiura, Keio KMD

2015-02-13T03:51:03-05:00

Today, we welcomed Yuta Sugiura from Keio University, Graduate School of Media Design, to give us a lecture on the potentials of digital fabrication and smart-tools. The talk began with Mark Weiser and progressed through the latest smart-tool developments in Japan, ETH and MIT Media Lab. The lecture ended with notes on the possibilities of crowdsourcing, followed by a tour of current 1st year students' projects in progress. We hope that a series of discussions and workshops will ensue that will explore the application of smart-tools in architectural design and construction.

2014 Digital Fabrication Lab Research Pavilion - STIK

2014-12-16T21:49:00-05:00

At the Advanced Design Studies’ Digital Fabrication Lab, we have been exploring methods of integrating computational design with construction processes.

With the advancement of technology, data has become readily available and easy to produce, while material resources and traditional craft are disappearing from our contemporary life. With Japan’s declining population, skilled labor in the building sector is projected to be insufficient to maintain and produce the architecture of the future with quality that Japan is known for. Thus, our approach is to integrate Information distribution technologies with human tasks. We seek to utilize methods of human augmentation to create a dynamic system of distributed 3D printers capable of “printing” a large-scale, on-site, formwork-less structure.

Our proposal is a network of human-driven 3D printing devices, which we call STIK (Smart Tool Integrated Konstruction). The basic component for the system is a chopstick, ‘waribashi’ which is a recycle...

T_ADS (The University of Tokyo - Advanced Design Studies) founded in 2014

2014-12-02T20:15:35-05:00

Founded in 2014, T_ADS was established to contribute to and enhance state-of-the-art architectural design education while cultivating architectural culture in Japan. Going beyond the legacy of Japanese pedagogy, in which individual laboratories conduct their respective research, T_ADS is composed of multiple interdisciplinary labo-platforms. Each platform concentrates on a specific theme arising within societies where globalism and regionalism coexist. Currently, there are four main platforms: Digital Fabrication Lab (DFL), with research centering on how digital fabrication technology can be applied to architecture; Sustainable Prototyping Lab (SPL), which emphasizes architectural prototypes for sustainable urbanity; Design Think Tank (DTT), which looks at combinatorial hardware design and the software of cities; and Media Initiative Lab (MIL), which analyzes architecture through exhibitions, symposiums, lectures, and publications.

This project is a part of the Graduate Program at t...