AIA Japan Book Talk — Waterfront Regeneration in a Time of Climate Change

When: Friday 5 December 2025 @ 04:30 (Eastern US Time)/ 18:30 (Tokyo time)
Where: LUTRON Asuka Showroom/Office, 1 Chome−1−1 Shin-Aoyama Bldg. West 14F, Minamiaoyama, Tokyo 107-0062 Japan/ ONLINE

CES Credits: TBC

Description

Join AIA Japan for an engaging book talk featuring Raffaele Pernice (The University of New South Wales), George Kurumado (Takenaka Corporation), and Heide Imai (Senshu University) — chapter authors of Waterfront Regeneration in a Time of Climate Change: Recent Japanese and International Experiences (Routledge, 2025).

Moderated by Professor Tetsuya Yaguchi (Waseda University), this session will explore the resilience of the Tokyo waterfront and how global cities are reimagining their waterfronts in response to climate change. Through Japanese and international case studies, the speakers will highlight strategies that balance ecological restoration, disaster risk reduction, and urban livability.

AIA Japan - Frank Lloyd Wright and Japan Revisited: Traditional Japanese Culture as a Means to Modern American Architecture

When: Thursday 27 November 2025 @ 04:30 (Eastern US Time)/ 18:30 (Tokyo time)
Where: Arper Showroom, Tokyo/ ONLINE

Speaker

Kevin Nute, Professor of Architecture, University of Hawai’i, Manoa

Description

Although it has long been accepted that America’s most famous architect was influenced by Japanese culture, the nature of Frank Lloyd Wright’s debt to Japan has remained unclear. Kevin Nute argues that Japan had a more profound impact on Wright’s approach to design and in particular his notion of the organic than has previously been acknowledged. It suggests that the influence of Ernest Fenollosa (1853–1908), the leading American authority on Japanese art at the turn of the 20th century, who also happened to be the cousin of Wright’s first employer in Chicago, the Shingle Style architect Joseph Silsbee (1848–1913), was pivotal in bringing together what would become Wright’s twin passions of Japanese art and the organic whole.

AIA Sub-Saharan Africa – In the Making of Meaningful Things with Earthworld Architects

When: Thursday 20 November 2025 @ 11:00 (Eastern US time)/ 18:00 (Central Africa time)
Where: NUST Mining Auditorium, Windhoek, Namibia/ ONLINE

CES: Estimated 1 LU for AIA Members

Description

This lecture explores the architectural journey of Earthworld over the past 25 years. Beginning in the early 2000s with modest brick constructions, the practice has continually evolved in both materiality and methodology. The timeline of their work reflects progression from: 

• Brick structures in the early years, 

• To concrete and steel buildings, 

• To hybrid constructions combining brick, concrete, and steel, 

• And most recently, to timber-based architecture. 

Over the last decade, Earthworld has focused on the design and construction of modular buildings, embracing advanced technologies such as precast concrete and CNC-cut plywood. These innovations enable components to be fabricated off-site and rapidly assembled on location, reflecting a shift toward efficiency, sustainability, and precision in contemporary architecture. 

To attend IN PERSON - please RSVP to admin@nia.org.na by 14 November 2025.

To attend ONLINE - register via the link below.

AIA Taipei - International Lecture: KINGDOM Development x Department of Architecture Ming Chuan University

When: Thursday 20 November 2025 @ 06:00 (Eastern US time)/ 19:00 (Taipei Time)
Where: Ming Chuan University, Taipei/ ONLINE CES: Estimated 2 LU/HSW for AIA Members

Speaker

Roberto Bannura, Steven Holl Architects I Partner

Event Description

This lecture, presented by Roberto Bannura of Steven Holl Architects, explores the firm’s distinctive design philosophy and its translation into built works across the world. Through an in-depth presentation of selected projects, Bannura will discuss how conceptual thinking, material experimentation, and spatial experience shape Steven Holl’s architectural language.

The event also highlights the collaboration with KINGDOM Development and Ming Chuan University, reflecting the intersection of professional practice, academic exploration, and development innovation in contemporary architecture.

When: Monday 10 November 2025 @ 05:00 (Eastern US time)/ 18:00 (Taipei Time)
Where: Online CES: Estimated 2 LU/HSW for AIA Members

Speaker

Lydia Kallipoliti, Associate Professor & Director of MSAAD Program, Columbia University GSAPP, New York

Moderator

Tzen-ying Ling, Professor, Columbia University GSAPP

Event Description

In an era where global architectural education faces the challenges of AI integration, sustainability, and cross-disciplinary innovation, the role of education extends beyond knowledge transfer—it becomes a catalyst for reform and transformation.

This lecture, delivered by Prof. Lydia Kallipoliti of Columbia GSAPP, explores paradigm shifts in architectural thought through the lens of ecological design histories. Drawing from her recent publication, Histories of Ecological Design: An Unfinished Cyclopedia, Prof. Kallipoliti examines the intertwined evolution of design, technology, and environmental systems, addressing how architecture can mediate between ecological intelligence, material reuse, and socio-political engagement.

The lecture will be moderated by Prof. Tzen-Ying Ling. Participants will gain insight into contemporary design pedagogy and research directions at Columbia GSAPP, while also engaging in broader discussions on how AI, sustainability, and ecological thinking are redefining architectural practice and education.

AIA Japan - Evening Lecture with Kengo Kuma: Back to Nature

When: Thursday 6 November 2025 @ 05:00 (Eastern US Time)/ 19:00 (Tokyo time)
Where: TBC near Ikebukuro Station/ ONLINE

Description

AIA Japan is honored to collaborate with Kengo Kuma & Associates to present a special lecture, “Back to Nature,” by Kengo Kuma, one of Japan’s most internationally acclaimed architects. The event will take place near Ikebukuro Station at an exclusive, architecturally significant cultural property, offering a fitting setting for this dialogue between architecture and nature. Final venue details will be announced shortly. Kuma-san will reflect on the ways architecture can deepen our connection to nature and the spaces we inhabit.

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