About us

「建築デザインが社会においてどのような役割を果たすかについて、実践的手法により研究する」


私たちの研究室では、社会で生じるさまざまな問題の原因を解明し、そこから得られた知見を、人々の生活改善に役立てることを目的とした実践的研究手法である「アクションリサーチ」を用いて研究しています。

実際に私たちは昨年、山梨県市川三郷町で古い酒蔵をギャラリーに改修するプロジェクトを行いました。現地を訪れ、ワークショップを開いて地元の方から直接意見を伺い、小さなコミュニティの中で住民が楽しく利用することができる場所となるような手がかりを「フィールドワーク」によって調べていきました。

また、横浜赤レンガ倉庫の広場に、自由に動かせる30台の机と120脚のイスを設置する社会実験も行いました。不要となった学校のイスを市民参加型のワークショップでカラフルに塗装し直し、にぎわいを生み出す仕掛けとして配置しました。その結果、単に人が通り過ぎるだけの場所となっていた広場で、多くの人々が冬の寒い時期でも多くの人々が楽しむ光景を見ることができました。

こうして設計を行った後、その地域に生まれた新しい場がどのような変化を起こすのかを調べ、論文としてまとめることで、実際に作る際に生じた良い面と悪い面をどちらも分析でき、知見を共有することで今後の設計活動にも生かされます。私たちの研究室では実際に社会と関わる「実践的研究」を重要視しています。研究室の卒業生は8割以上が組織設計事務所や建設会社の設計部、アトリエなどで建築系の仕事に就き、設計活動を行っています。日本では大学生と社会人を区別していますが、本研究室は社会と非常に密接なプロジェクトに取り組み、地域のコミュニティと協力したまちづくりなど、利益を考えると設計事務所では対応が難しい社会貢献活動も行っています。こうした活動を通じて、学生でも社会に積極的に関わる「社会人」になることで、卒業後に社会を良い方向へ導くようなデザインを考えて欲しいと願っています。

We apply practice-based methods to investigate the social role of architectural design


In Jorge Almazán Laboratory we analyze actual problems happening in specific social environments with the aim of not only understanding or describing problematic social conditions, but more importantly with the goal of improving or changing them. Our research method applies action research theory to architectural design: We design and build real architectural projects and urban interventions in real communities.

One example is our renovation project of an old sake storehouse in Yamanashi Prefecture. Initiated with fieldwork visits, interviews, and workshops with local inhabitants, during the initial analysis we identified the need for a new community space, and the opportunity offered by an abandoned storehouse in a central site. After numerous meetings with a local community group, we designed and built a multipurpose space that now accommodates parties, theater and music performances, meetings, exhibitions, etc. Another example is our project for improving the use of the Red Brick Plaza in Yokohama waterfront area. Often empty and mainly used as a transit space, we proposed to set up movable chairs and tables and to conduct an experiment to study the possibilities of changing the plaza into a staying place. We conducted a participatory workshop with Yokohama residents to recycle school chairs and tables into colorful urban furniture to be installed in the plaza. This experiment allowed us to observe how the plaza temporarily became a lively urban scene where people stayed and met.

These are some examples of actual projects developed in the laboratory. For us they are not only social actions, but also a source of case studies. Each project has a research output as a thesis, where both positive and negative effects of the action are analyzed and offered to the wider academic and professional audience, so that our experiences can be shared, improved and developed by others, and to ultimately build a body of practice-based design knowledge. We have a strong commitment to design practice and actually more than 80% of our graduates work as designers in architecture offices. But we equally emphasize the production and publication of new knowledge through articles, peer-review journals, books, domestic and international conferences. The laboratory works in a continuous spiral that alternates design actions and research activities heading to a more socially committed architecture.

Jorge ALMAZÁN

Graduated from the School of Architecture, Polytechnics University of Madrid in 2003. In 2001 he studied at the Technische Universität Darmstadt. He completed the Doctoral Degree at Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2007. In 2008 he held the position of Invited Professor of Architectural Design at the University of Seoul. Since April 2009 he teaches in Keio University, where he leads Studiolab: a university-based collaboration platform that works as architecture design studio and research laboratory.

Doctoral Course

doctoral-course

Alejandro PINEDA

Graduated with honors from the Polytechnic School, University of Alicante in 2016, with a specialty in Technologies applied to the Architecture and Urbanism. Since 2017 he has been working in Urban Revitalizing Projects in various prefectures of Japan as a member of Sosei Partners. He obtained the first place in the 8th "Healthy Housing awards" international competition. Currently he is PhD candidate at Keio University.

doctoral-course

Jessica ILUNGA

Graduated from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, with a Master of City and Regional Planning degree in 2018. Her bachelor’s degree is in science specializing in Civil Engineering. From 2020, she was a research fellow at I-AUD, Meiji University under the MEXT Scholarship. Currently, she continues her scholarship as a PhD candidate at Keio University.

doctoral-course

Shunsuke SHIMIZU

Studied at Universität Stuttgart in 2021 and completed his Master's Degree (M. Eng.) at Keio University in 2023. His thesis titled "Research on Construction and Management Methods of Participatory Architecture" won the Jury Prize at the Tokyo Kenchiku collection 2023. He is currently a Ph.D. student at Keio University under the JST scholarship. His research mainly focuses on the theory and practice of "Participatory Architecture".  

doctoral-course

Errita ZUNA

Graduated from the University of Prishtina, Kosovo, with a Master of Architecture and Civil Engineering in 2019. During her master’s, she received the Erasmus+ scholarship in 2018 at Dessau International Architecture Graduate School. From 2021, she was a research fellow at Keio University under the MEXT Scholarship and now continues at the same university as a PhD candidate.

doctoral-course

Maja BIELECKA

Graduated with distinction from Cracow University of Technology, with a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design in 2020. During her academic career she also studied at Politecnico di Milano (2019) and Hogeschool van Amsterdam (2018), both as part of Erasmus+ scholarship exchange programs. From 2023, she was a research student at the University of Tokyo under the MEXT Scholarship and currently she continues her scholarship as a PhD candidate at Keio University.

exchange-student

Juliana GOMEZ YAGUAL

exchange-student

Chisnucha POOLTHAVEETHAM

masters-course

Fumika OKUNO

masters-course

Seishi SHIKIDA

masters-course

Keita SUZUKI

masters-course

Reina HIROSE

masters-course

Tatsuki UMEZAWA

masters-course

Ryota SUGIMOTO

masters-course

Dai SUMIDA

masters-course

Yuma SHIMIZU

masters-course

Madoka TADANO

masters-course

Seigo NAGAMI

masters-course

Kazuma WATANABE

bachelor-course

Sakura ENDO

bachelor-course

Sayo NAKADA

bachelor-course

Rin HAYASHI

bachelor-course

Tomoki HIDENAGA

bachelor-course

Kiyotaka FURUKAWA

Graduates

Doctoral Graduates
Doctor

Naoki SAITO (Doctor's degree 2021 March)

Doctor

Gaku INOUE (Doctor's degree 2019 Sep.)

Doctor

Mio SUZUKI (Doctor's degree 2017 March)

2024 September
Master

Alberto BRAIOTTA

Visiting student

Alyssar DUNIA

2024 March
Master

Ekiei KYO

Master

Amata TANAHASHI

Master

Mina HIROSE

Master

Ayane MOCHIZUKI

Bachelor

Yuuki NAGATO

Bachelor

Konatsu MATSUKAWA

2023 March
Master

Shogo OHASHI

Master

Yurino OGURI

Master

Mayo NISHIKATA

Master

Yuna MATSUYAMA

Visiting student

Johan KOUAHO

2022 September
Visiting student

Francesco BRUSIANI

Visiting student

Lorenzo CONTI

Visiting student

Patricia de FRUTOS

Master

Sudeep V ZUMBRE

2022 March
Master

Ryota IBARAKI

Master

Risa Takagi

Master

Maroya HARIGAYA

Master

Yuki MORI

Bachelor

Mie NAGAI

2021 September
Master

Yuna TAKEDA

Master

Georgiana Diane GO

Master

Daiwei LYU

2021 March
Master

Kyoko ITO

Master

Yoshihisa MORIYA

Master

Yuki WADA

Bachelor

Yukiho OKUYAMA

2020 September
Visiting student

Kazuyuki TAKEDA

Visiting student

Kevin CANONICA

Master

Javier CELAYA

2020 March
Master

Yusuke ONO

Master

Itaru IWASAKI

Master

Yuichi TATSUMI

Master

Kyoko SUGANUMA

Bachelor

Daiki SEKIGUCHI

Bachelor

Yoshitomo YONAMOTO

2019 September
Visiting student

Jiayi LI

Visiting student

Gabriel CHATEL

2019 March
Master

Yuma MATSUMOTO

Master

Nobutaka KAWAI

Master

Hana SAKURAI

Master

Ko FUJIMORI

Bachelor

Kosuke MIYANO

Bachelor

Akari HARA

2018 March
Master

Rieka HARA

Visiting student

Ramiro QUEZADA

Visiting student

Serena GIARDINA

Master

Kotaro SATO

Bachelor

Azusa NAGATA

2018 September
Visiting student

Manon ELLIE

Visiting student

Diego AVILES

Master

Philippe SAMACOITS

Visiting student

Nicolas SIRLETTI

Visiting student

Julia CANO BLASCO

2017 September
Visiting student

Roberto ROEL

Visiting student

Alexandre PAUL

Visiting student

Helena MACHÍN

2017 March
Master

Ayaka SAKAI

Master

Ryo KAWAI

Master

Moe KUSANO

2016 September
Bachelor

Tomoya BANNO

Visiting student

Romain DEBOULLE

2016 March
Visiting student

Luís Gustavo de ARAUJO

Visiting student

Guilherme MONTE

Master

Tomoya TSUJI

Master

Maho SUGIYAMA

Master

Ken TAMURA

Master

Yuri OIKAWA

2015 September
Visiting student

Louis MAGERMAN

2015 March
Master

Nozomi SHIMIZU

Master

Shota TAKAYAMA

2014 September
Visiting student

Nicolas WICART

2014 March
Master

Beom-chang JEONG

2013 March
Bachelor

Kohei HAYASHI

Master

Yuko YOKOYAMA

2012 March
Bachelor

Azusa INO

Bachelor

Miho TAKENAKA

Master

Yoshinori NAKAJIMA

Master

Tomohiro SUZUKI

Master

Hironori OKA

Master

Yoko TAKAOKA

Master

Kensuke KITA

Master

Saeko TSUMURAYA

Keio University utiliza cookies para mejorar tu experiencia de navegación y realizar tareas de análisis. Al continuar con tu navegación entendemos que das tu consentimiento a nuestra política de cookies