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Apr 21th, 2026 Our built-from-scratch stall, 3rd event in action This year, we once again participated in a local event in Matsue, setting up and dismantling our exhibit. This is our third year participating, and we are very happy to be involved in this activity every year. Many people, from children to the elderly, gathered at the venue, and it was very impressive to see everyone naturally mingling and having fun. It had a warm atmosphere, like one big family. We hope that our efforts will contribute to the enjoyment and connection of this community (Aliffi).
Mar 20~23th, 2026 Presentation at CEAC 2026 Hong Kong We travelled to Hong Kong to attend the international conference CEAC 2026. The trip was filled with eye-opening experiences, as Hong Kong felt very different from Japan in many ways. By the end of the trip, I claimed that the experience was enjoyable and memorable despite spending so long in a place so different from Japan that eventually made me miss his hometown (Nakano).
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Jan 2026 Making new wooden desk for our department freshman Due to the shortage of tables in the architecture studio, the department came up with the idea of building wooden tables from scratch. Our lab members took part in the entire making process, gaining valuable hands-on experience in craftsmanship and construction. While education today is often focused on learning through textbooks and lectures, this project became a meaningful opportunity to learn by working with our hands, and all the lab members said they had an enjoyable and unforgettable experience while learning skills not usually covered in the regular education system (Jun Hao).
Nov 9th, 2025 Lab trip in Onomichi The trip to Onomichi was enjoyable and full of enthusiasm despite the cloudy weather. We visited many places, including the Onomichi City Museum of Art, where an architectural exhibition was being held, as well as several sightseeing spots around the city. To end the trip, we enjoyed ramen together for lunch (Jun Hao).
Oct 12~13th We host Openlab for children during University Festival The Open Lab was a busy and rewarding day for the lab members. Many kids came to experience VR by designing their own rooms and exploring them afterward in virtual reality, which brought many fun reactions and excitement. The event also became a valuable opportunity for the lab members to work together, support guests, and strengthen teamwork within the lab (Jun Hao).
Sep 23~25th, 2025 Presentation at SBE Tokyo25 International conference We attended the Sustainable Built Environment (SBE) 2025 in Tokyo. It was a great opportunity to explore diverse research works and gain knowledge (Osmani). We are glad to present our research at such venue, allowing us to exchange ideas with practitioners and academics and I win the SBETokyo25 Best Poster Award (Aliffi).
Aug~Oct 2025 Survey waterfront office in Matsue We surveyed waterfront buildings around Matsue to explore how natural airflow can enhance living environments through passive design. Despite beautiful views, windows often stay closed due to worry of harsh weather in Matsue, making indoor air exchange less efficient especially for many old housing stocks. This project aims to raise awareness of simple actions like opening windows to support healthier indoor spaces while avoiding wasting energy (Kurohara).
Jul 12th, 2025 Everyone at the beach To welcome the new students, we went to Kitaura for a barbecue and a swim. We were blessed with good weather, making it a very pleasant day. It was a great time to get to know each other slowly, not only about our usual research but also about our daily lives. We had a lot of fun talking, cooking, eating, and playing together, and being surrounded by so many smiles made me feel happy too (Enomoto).
Mar 28~31st, 2025 Presentation at CEAC2025 International conference My first on-site conference, was a memorable milestone held at Waseda University’s serene campus in rainy Tokyo. We was honored to be selected as Best Presenter of Special Session, a proud moment shared with my lab mates and advisor. The event inspired me through meaningful exchanges with fellow researchers and fresh ideas for future work (Aliffi).
Mar 2025 Lab trip to Tokyo We ****went on a 5-day 4-night study trip to Tokyo. It was my first time there, and seeing famous buildings I had only known from the internet or TV brought a series of surprises and moments of awe (Kurohara). Spending time with my lab members during our Tokyo trip, then exploring solo from early morning to late night, I was eager to soak in every moment. My favorite was Omotesando with its beautiful streets and architecture (Aliffi).
Feb 20th , 2025 Clean up to prepare for our new students’s laboratory Today, we cleaned the new students lab, which had gathered a lot of dust from being mostly used for copying and light tasks before, so it was quite a job. The sink was especially dirty since it had been sealed off and unused, but cleaning it was surprisingly satisfying. I also finally got my own desk, so I’m excited to focus more on my research from now on (Nakano).
Jan 2025 Collaboration for graduation thesis As part of my graduation research, I did many things such as site survey, interview contractors, join an ArchiCAD training session, and even participate in a competition. I'm grateful to the professionals and fellow students who supported me, and I want carry these lessons into future projects (Kouno).
Nov~Dec, 2024 Simulation assistant work for Indonesia vernacular housing simulation I had the opportunity to assist with a research project from Ciputra University in Indonesia. Since I’m interested in thermal simulations, it was a great experience to learn about passive design and use Grasshopper for the first time. Processing a large number of data was challenging at times, I’m glad I could made it. This work was presented at the CEAC 2025 International conference (Nakano).
Nov 10~11th, 2024 Survey street stalls in Hakata As part of our lab activities, I visited Hakata to conduct a survey on street stalls, targeting both tourists and locals. Despite the rain making it hard to find enough participants, we managed to meet our goal. We also enjoyed exploring places like Canal City and singing karaoke, though the long car ride was tiring, I’d love to take part again if I get the chance (Sugita).
Nov 9th, 2024 Rendering work to renovate Mian sensei office I recently helped an IT professor redesign his office using only existing furniture to better support his tech-heavy setup and student consultations. Rearranging items like his desk and whiteboard, I created a clearer boundary between work and meeting areas. This small project showed me how even simple layout changes can greatly improve both function and comfort (Jun Hao).
Nov 3rd, 2024 Lab trip at Shimane Prefectural Government Building Attending the Exhibition at the Shimane Prefectural Government building was like stepping into a living archive of modern Japanese architecture. Seeing the original hand-drawn plans and exploring the building on-site deepened my understanding of Kikutake’s Metabolism philosophy and his sensitivity to Matsue’s climate. The experience powerfully connected design theory with real-world emotion and detail (Aliffi).
Nov 2024 Design and laser cut kumiko pattern for our class For a class I prepared physical models, taught Archicad, and consulted with students despite my limited Japanese. Working on the facade of Flat Building, students explored lighting, scale, and Kumiko-inspired patterns through survey, 3D model, and VR. Collaborating with local carpenter to create laser-cut wooden models made the experience more rewarding, blending tradition, technology, and hands-on learning (Aliffi).
Oct 7th~ 17th, 2024 Design and build displays for local event We designed and built displays for an event called "Yonagomachi de Matsuri." It needed to be easy to assemble and disassemble without tools, and versatile in its usage. While it was challenging to turn these requirements into a practical design and think about the assembly instructions for users, completing the project brought a great sense of accomplishment (Kurohara).
Oct 6th, 2024 Beach BBQ to welcome newcomers My first trip in Japan was to Izumo with my lab, where we explored the Shimane Museum and learned how Izumo Taisha’s legacy lives on through architecture and community. We later enjoyed shopping at a local market and a BBQ by the shore, sharing food and laughter. That day, filled with warmth and connection, quickly became one of my most treasured memories (Aliffi).
Sep~Oct, 2024 Work for BIM Class at high school I assisted with a BIM class for 2nd and 3rd-year students at Matsue Technical High School. Since the students hadn’t previously worked with BIM, we taught them basic operations, building processes, and simulations over three sessions. Although teaching was challenging at first, the support from instructors and students helped me relax, and I ended up enjoying the experience (Sugita).
Sep 24~26th, 2024 Internship at Ochiai wooden workshop Our lab have two days visited the Ochiai Joinery Factory. We learned and practiced how everyday architectural elements like furnitures and doors are made. Understanding the manufacturing process is essential for better design, and this experience reminded me of the importance of continuous learning to improve my work as a designer (Yui).
Jul~Aug, 2024 Survey events in Matsue, Izumo, Yonago Our lab conducted survey in various events and interviewed people of all ages. Seeing attendees and vendors enjoying themselves made me feel happy too, and I realized how important these events are as spaces for community interaction. We hope our work in these events will help it grow to be a vital part of local communities in the future. Our work was presented at the CEAC 2025 International Conference (Yui).
Jun 10th, 2024 Presentation of Matsue Doken during our class We had the pleasure of welcoming Sato-san and Nitta-san from Matsue Doken, who shared how architects can apply knowledge from environmental engineering in their work. Students were able to get involved, gain hands-on experience, and truly enjoyed the session. We hope to have more classes like this in our theory courses to make the learning environment more engaging and practical (Khang).
May 6th, 2024 Lab trip to Nima Sand Museum The Nima Sand Museum offered a fascinating exploration of the intersection between art, engineering, and nature, all within a culturally rich context of timeless harmony. We observed the museum's unique sand art and artifacts, each piece capturing the delicate beauty and impermanence of time. Like grains of sand, these moments were brief, bright, and unforgettable (Osmani).
Mar 13th~17th, 2024 Lab trip to South Korea (CEAC 2024) In Korea, I got to experience the local culture and values, which made me realize the differences from Japan. A major highlight was visiting the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, created by the famous architect Zaha Hadid. Its unique, futuristic design was truly impressive, and visiting other well-known buildings made it a fantastic opportunity to learn more about international architecture. The purpose of this lab trip was also to participate in the international conference CEAC2024, and we won an award there (Kouno).
Nov 20th, 2023 Lab trip to Adachi Art Museum The Adachi Museum of Art’s use of windows to frame the garden like a living painting is truly impressive. It turns nature into art through careful design and showed me how light, framing, and spatial composition can transform the way we experience both indoor and outdoor environments. I really admire this approach as it is a subtle, artistic blend of architecture and landscape that feels rare in my own country (Jun Hao).
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Oct 22nd~29th, 2023 Exchange Sakura Science Program Through the Sakura Science Exchange Program, we collaborated with Yersin University (Vietnam) and Mahasarakham University (Thailand) to promote environmentally friendly design by studying natural daylight patterns and sound absorption. A one-week workshop brought together students and researchers from the three countries, encouraging cross-disciplinary exchange on design thinking, parametric tools, and environmental simulation. The outcomes of this program were later published in Bunkyo News (Khang).
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Sep 15th, 2023 Presentation our findings to Tanabe no Mori We presented our research to Tanabe no Mori, continuing a long collaboration that began with lectures on passive design and a survey of their model house. The project examined environmental issues caused by heat and changing weather patterns in Matsue. Our proposal for passive improvements, developed through this collaboration, won the AIJ Chugoku Region branch for Environment Prize of graduation thesis (Noumi).
Aug 2023 Survey campus street food in Thailand We took a field trip to Northern Thailand to lead a workshop on wooden architecture and continue our survey on street food culture around university campuses. The research focused on how vendors near the country’s largest regional campus use diverse strategies to attract customers while keeping prices low. Our findings were presented at the Eco-Summit in London and CEAC 2025 Conference in Tokyo (Nillapat).
Jun 26th, 2023 Presentation of Moriwaki-san (Atelier Bow-Wow) Moriwaki-san from Innan Enishinomori shared their collaboration with Atelier Bow-Wow at a special lecture. The project is a rental house for U-turn residents in Innancho, using local resources and a new wall system that keeps heat in while displaying wood panels on both sides to celebrate regional craftsmanship. We hope it inspires students to value smart use of materials and support for local builders (Khang).
Mar 16th, 2023 Design laboratory furnitures using BIM Teamwork We designed our lab furniture from scratch, bringing a warmer, natural tone that reflects our philosophy for efficient work and an approach that values human experience. Collaborate with Ochiai Joinery Factory using BIM Teamwork environment, each piece was scalable and easy to assemble on-site. In just 10 days, we turned ideas into a smart, practical workspace (Noumi).
Jan 17th~26th, 2023 Survey Matsue Horikawa Surveying Horikawa revealed how the mix of historic castle town and residential areas gives the city its unique charm. The reflections on the water and views of tiled roofs and stone embankments show a distinctive side of Matsue. We are building a virtual environment that offers a fresh, engaging way to experience this unique charm of Matsue. Our work was presented at the International Conference for Sustainable Built Environment 2024 (Nhung).
Oct 27th, 2022 Lab trip Shoji Ueda Museum of Photography Set against the vast Tottori plain, the Shoji Ueda Museum of Photography embodies Shin Takamatsu’s refined minimalism, where concrete and metal tones quietly enhance the warmth of wooden furniture. Every frame and shifting perspective echoes Ueda’s eye-level compositions. Indirect daylight through canvas ceilings and the distant silhouette of Mt. Daisen offer a subtle yet powerful metaphor for his timeless photographic world (Khang).
Sep 21st, 2022 Lab trip Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo The journey to the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo with a charming retro train and the nearby station, wrapped in colored glass, casts soft hues that blur the boundary between transit and place. Maki’s early design, with rusted copper panels and elevated white walls, quietly honors ancient artifacts while echoing the surrounding landscape (Khang).
© 2026 Kanlabo @Gkoliomyti A. (Notion) Department of Architecture Design, Interdisciplinary Faculty of Science and Engineering, Shimane University, Matsue Campus, Science Building 3, 7F, #705
Contact: Yen-Khang Nguyen-Tran Shimane University, 1060 Nishikawatsu-cho, Matsue City, Shimane, Japan, 690-8504 Tel: 0852-32-9717 (6357) Mail: khang.ntr[at]riko.shimane-u.ac.jp
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