2024 Faculty Courses School of Environment and Society Department of Architecture and Building Engineering Graduate major in Architecture and Building Engineering
Architectural Workshop 1
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Architecture and Building Engineering
- Instructor(s)
- Yasuhito Fujita / Taishin Shiozaki / Satoshi Nasu
- Class Format
- Lecture/Exercise
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - Intensive
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- ARC.D403
- Number of credits
- 110
- Course offered
- 2024
- Offered quarter
- 3-4Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 14, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
In this course targeted mainly at international students that belong to the IGP program, the objective is to deepen students' understanding of Tokyo and urban architecture by bringing up topics regarding traditional Japanese architecture including temples and shrines, homes, and tea-ceremony rooms, and giving students an overview of the special characteristics of these architectural styles, the backgrounds of their emergence, and their historical meaning, and also by explaining the historical changes of Tokyo as a city. Also, in the latter half of the course, by observing in person and analyzing architecture and the state of cities with regards to modern Tokyo, students will explore methods for understanding modern architecture and modern cities. For international students majoring in architecture and building engineering, a long-term stay in Japan provides the opportunity to learn up-close about Japanese architecture and cities, while also being an ideal opportunity to put the culture of their own country into perspective and deepen their understanding of architecture and cities themselves. Working from this situation that international students are placed in, by first instructing them about fundamental knowledge and perspectives regarding traditional Japanese architecture and the urban history of Tokyo that stretches back to the Edo period, it will be helpful to understanding the Japanese architecture and cities. In addition, by observing and examining today's Tokyo as field work, students are expected to experience firsthand what is happening in modern Tokyo, while learning to comprehend modern architecture and modern cities. The prerequisite for this course is the course Architectural Tour (focuses on deepening understanding of Japanese architecture by visiting existing historical buildings mainly in Kansai).
[Notice]The schedule and the contents will be changed depending on the situation with colona virus. It is possible to cancel excursions in Tokyo (actually it was cancelled in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 too). Please pay attention to the information from the lecturer. Please remind to check the latest announcement at T2Schola.
Course description and aims
Students are expected to acquire the fundamental grounding and perspective to understand traditional Japanese architecture and modern Japanese architecture and cities through this course. This lecture on Japanese architectural history is considered as preparation for the course "Architectural Tour" in 4Q in which students tour Japanese architecture in person to deepen their understanding of it.
Keywords
History of Japanese Architecture, Urban History
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
The course is mainly composed of lectures and excursions led by the instructors.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Guidance + Architectural History of Japan | Several Assignments will be given to the participants, as needed. |
| Class 2 | Construction Technique of Japanese Traditional Architecture | Several Assignments will be given to the participants, as needed. |
| Class 3 | Concept of Japanese Traditional Architecture | Several Assignments will be given to the participants, as needed. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Any textbooks are not designated.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Reference for the lecture will be handed out each time, as needed.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Grading marks is based on the result of assignments during the quarter and additionally the rate of attendance.
Related courses
- History of Japanese Architecture
- History of Western Architecture
- History of Modern Architecture
Prerequisites
Participants are limited to IGP students of the architectural department.
Other
Nothing.