2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Environment and Society Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate major in Urban Design and Built Environment
Basics on Conservation and Preservation of Historic Environments
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Urban Design and Built Environment
- Instructor(s)
- Amana Hiraga
- Class Format
- Lecture
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - Class
- -
- Course Code
- UDE.D415
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
To create sustainable built environment, adaptive reuse of existing building is an important factor. Among these, the adaptive reuse of buildings and environments with historical value is a promising field for future development, as it contributes to building local identity, revitalizing the community through appropriate utilization and tourism development, and maintaining the diversity of local culture through the preservation of lifestyles and traditional industries.
Research on the principles and methods for passing on historical values to the future has long been accumulated in the field of cultural heritage preservation, and it is now necessary to share this wisdom widely in the architectural field. In order to preserve buildings of historical value, it is essential to have both (1) an understanding of the principles to recognize the value of "what" and "why" to preserve, and (2) a search for practical methods of "how" to preserve the heritage so that it can be passed on to the future without losing its value.
In this course we will focus on understanding of fundamental ideas, and students will deepen their understanding of the principles of cultural heritage conservation in Japan and the international community through a variety of specific case studies.
Course description and aims
(1) To understand the feature of the theory and system of Japanese cultural heritage conservation.
(2) To understand the feature of the theory and system of the cultural heritage conservation in the international society.
(3) To be able to identify and evaluate the value of individual cultural heritage sites.
Student learning outcomes
実務経験と講義内容との関連 (又は実践的教育内容)
The lecture involve the knowledge from the work experience as monument conservator (ex. senior researcher at Cabinet office).
Keywords
Cultural heritage conservation, Historical buildings, Sustainability, World heritage
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Lectures in Japanese. Students will work as a group or an individual to develop adaptive reuse proposals.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Theory and methods in Japanese cultural property conservation | Understanding the Japanese theory and methods in conservation through case studies. |
| Class 2 | Characteristics of the Japanese cultural property protection system | Understanding the cultural property protection system that reflects Japan's unique cultural values. |
| Class 3 | Development of the theory and methods of Cultural heritage conservation in the international Society | Understanding the philosophy of cultural heritage conservation developed mainly in Europe through various examples. |
| Class 4 | Protection of cultural heritage under the international conventions and charters | Understanding the principles and initiatives for the protection of cultural heritage as found in international conventions and charters by UNESCO, ICOMOS, and other organizations. |
| Class 5 | Protection of Cultural Heritage through the World Heritage Convention | Understanding the principles and conservation methods of the World Heritage Convention and the methods of passing on the diversity of local cultures. |
| Class 6 | Cultural Heritage Protection Initiatives in Today's Society | Understanding the various initiatives for the protection of cultural heritage in today's society to ensure its value for the future. |
| Class 7 | Final presentation | Evaluating the value of individual cultural heritage sites and sharing proposals for measures to protect them. |
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)
Handouts
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Books and references are introduced during classes.
Evaluation methods and criteria
A report and final presentation at the end of class and short assignments in classes are required for making score.
Related courses
- UDE.D416 ： Advanced Conservation and Preservation of Historic Environments
- UDE.E405 ： Sustainable Built Environment
Prerequisites
Priority will be given to master's students.