As a joint project between the Field of Art and Design for Spatial Experience and the Concentration in Environmental Design, we will be inviting Professor Radek Toman from Brno University of Technology (Czech Republic) to give an open lecture.The lectures will be held over two days on different themes.
If you would like to attend, please fill out the reservation form and register.
Lecture 1 / CZECH ARCHITECTURE AND ITS CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES: FROM RAUMPLAN TO RAMPPLAN
Date and time: Monday, August 18, 2025, 10:00-12:00
Location: Joshibi University of Art and Design, Suginami Campus, Building 2, Room 2212 (classroom may change depending on the number of participants)
Language: English (with English-Japanese interpretation)
Moderator: NISHIDA Hidemi
Eligibility: Anyone
Admission: Free (reservation required)
Reservation form: https://forms.gle/B9nD3yetpiJiiPGS6
With a population of just over 10 million, the Czech Republic may not be a large country, but its cultural contributions, including architecture, are globally significant. This lecture explores key trends and architectural landmarks of the 20th and early 21st centuries in the Czech context. Our journey begins with Villa Müller by Adolf Loos, completed in 1930, which exemplifies his innovative raumplan concept. Later, we finish our journey in Villa Hermína by HŠH Architects, built in 2009, where ramps become the defining spatial element. Through these and other examples, we will examine the conceptual approaches that have shaped Czech architecture and its global influence.
Lecture 2 / CITIES AND THEIR EMPTY PLACES
Date and time: Tuesday, August 19, 2025, 10:30-12:00
Location: Joshibi University of Art and Design, Suginami Campus, Building 2, Room 2212 (classroom may change depending on the number of participants)
Language: English (with English-Japanese interpretation)
Moderator: NISHIDA Hidemi
Eligibility: Anyone
Admission: Free (reservation required)
Reservation form: https://forms.gle/B9nD3yetpiJiiPGS6
Urban development, landscape protection, and land management are among the most pressing challenges of our time. Despite the presence of empty houses, underutilized spaces, and extensive brownfields within our cities, new satellite settlements continue to emerge on their outskirts. This raises critical questions: Are we using land efficiently and sustainably? Are we designing cities that truly serve their inhabitants? What drives current patterns of urban growth, and what are the social, economic, and ecological consequences? This lecture examines how architects and urban planners can foster more meaningful and sustainable urban development through a complex interdisciplinary approach.
Radek Toman
Guest lecturer.
Architect, Vice Dean for international relations at the Department of Architecture, Brno University of Technology.
An architecture and urban researcher who explores sustainable ways of managing urban development by observing human activities in the city from a wilderness perspective, while interpreting the relationship between unused urban land and natural ecosystems.