August 28 – 31, 2016

Kitakyushu Science and Research Park (Gakken in Japanese) is the focus for the research topic of Workshop 2016. Gakken opened in 2001, aiming to be a center of academic and research institutions in Asia, and is the main part of the urban development project of the local government. The project, including the residential planning, is still in progress, and there will be more changes to be expected due to the land development.

The environment and climate surrounding Gakken has changed dramatically since it opened 15 years ago. It’s been a while since the debates on the system of university and research institutions have been thrust into the spotlight. A Japanese university is strongly required to be ‘international,’ and because of the Internet and new technology, the universities and research institutions can closely collaborate and exchange with each other easily now, regardless of location. Economy and politics around ‘Asia’ have also been rapidly changed – the boundaries shaping ‘Asia’ have been blurred and ‘the world’ should be considered when we mention Asia in contemporary society. Under these circumstances, for Gakken a system that does not fit into a conventional idea is needed, and making a flexible structure will be a critical issue for the future.

The role of Gakken in the new community is also looked for. City of Kitakyushu, as many other local governments in Japan, is experiencing aging and depopulation. However, Gakken is located in the emerging residential area promoted by the urbanization, and the situation seems different from other wards in Kitakyushu such as the visibly increasing number of the children.

The Workshop 2016 will be based on the research conducted by architect duo, Naoki Kato and Takenori Uotani, the fellows of CCA Fellowship Program 2015-16. The keywords they identified in the course of their research are featured, and mainly divide into 2 categories: inside the campus (architecture, design, sign, faculties, student, overseas student, education) and outside the campus (transportation, agriculture, industry, residence, architecture, city planning, history, residents, schools). Although each of these factors is seemingly unrelated, all of them belong to certain part of the environment and create the characteristics. By examining these discrete elements and defining the features of this area, the workshop proposes the roles of architecture, design and urban planning, that are required when the Gakken is transformed and shifted in order to be an active agent in the social and political changes.

Coordinator:
Naoki Kato (Kato Sumiyoshi), Takenori Uotani (Uo.A), Akito Yamaguchi (siinari), Ayako Yamada (CCA)

This post is also available in: Japanese