JNACA Architectural Workshop
Research tour around Ukiha - a former school building in the mountain community
The Japan-Netherlands Architecture and Cultural Association (JNACA)
Netherlands/Japan
Oct. 2018
Netherlands Embassy | Ukiha City | JNACA
JNACA is an organization consisting of the architects from the Netherlands and Japan, who studied in or have connections with the counterpart country. The workshops they host in rural regions are usually focusing on tentatively. proposing the repurposing of the existing buildings to serve the end of cultural/historic townscapes conservation.
In Ukiha’s workshop, JNACA invited Jarrik Ouburg (Dean of the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam 2012-16) and Freike Hartemink, HOH Architecten) to guide the students through how to read the landscape from the architectural perspective, then making a proposal for solving the local issues and needs by architectural intervention.
Freike Hartemink (left) and Jarrik Ouburg (right)
After getting to know Ukiha’s brief history in relation to the landscape, the students worked on preparation of their proposal at an historic building in the center of the town.
Students gathered from several universities including Kyushu University and Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Center back: Daiki Nakagawa, JNACA, the organizer of the event
The presentation was given at another townhouse open to public. After Freike explained the representing works of HOH Architecten, the students showed their proposals. To conclude the research overall, Jarrik gave a keynote sharing his perspective of Ukiha’s landscape; from the cross-section view, how it is similar to Dutch towns like Amsterdam - there is dam, irrigation system and canals which used to have watermills, contributing to the area’s industrial development. The underlying history is still traceable in the townscape, which has become the visual identity of the town, as well as forming the characteristic of the residents.