Obuchi Lab + Harvard GSD Tokyo Site Visit 1

We visited the world’s largest glass manufacturer, Asahi Glass, located in Ibaraki Prefecture just north of Tokyo.  The company has 4 large-scale factories in Japan, and the one we visited produces glass sheets mainly used for architectural applications, i.e., windows, doors, skylights and glass roofs. The factory was so big that we had to take a bus to move from one facility to next. Sadly we could not take any pictures inside the factory….

http://www.agc.com/english/index.html

Obuchi Lab + Harvard GSD Tokyo Lecture Series 4

Azby Brown from Kanazawa Institute of Technology joined us and spoke his latest book ‘Just Enough’. The main focus of the book is about the ecological network developed during the  17^th and 18^th centuries in Tokyo.

http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/thegreenguide/2010/05/review-just-enough-by-azby-bro.html

Obuchi Lab + Harvard GSD Tokyo Lecture Series 3

We visited Blest Co., a company invented a machine which turns plastic waste into gasoline, diesel, kerosene and other refined oil. We had a great talk by Akinori Ito, the president of Blest, who started up his company 9 years ago. His vision is to transform the public perception of trash not as waste but as future resources. This machine is now sold in many developing countries where plastic waste has become environmental hazard.

http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/plastic-to-oil-fantastic/

Obuchi Lab + Harvard GSD Tokyo Lecture Series 2

Prof. Jun Sato from University of Tokyo spoke to G30 and Harvard GSD Tokyo Program students about design culture of structural engineering in Japan. He works with young Japanese architects like So Fujimoto and Jun Ishigami, and explores to integrate Japanese tradition and latest technological innovations through the development of structural and material behaviours. 

Obuchi Lab + Harvard GSD Tokyo Lecture Series 1

G30 students and students from Harvard GSD Tokyo Program are joined by Morinosuke Kawaguchi, a technology consultant, who discussed the future of technology and how Japanese custom and subculture could help the direction of technological innovation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morinosuke_Kawaguchi

Thesis projects

Here are some model photos from the thesis projects of Taichi & Yuta.
More details coming soon...

Evolutionary Productions Seminar for Harvard GSD Tokyo 2012

Together with Toyo Ito and Ken Oshima of University of Washington, Prof. Obuchi started to teach Harvard students for their GSD Tokyo Program 2012. In the coming months, G30 students will be joining lecture series and site visits organized for Prof. Obuchi’s seminar course, Evolutionary Productions which exams Low/Mid/High Tech production processes uniquely developed in Japan.