On 23 March 2026, the Hiroshima University Architecture Group held its degree conferment ceremony and graduation and completion celebration party to congratulate the graduates and those completing their programmes.
From our laboratory, six undergraduate students and twelve postgraduate students (ten Master’s students and two PhD students) successfully reached this milestone and will be moving on to new environments from April. Congratulations to you all.
The after-party was held at an izakaya near Hiroshima Station. This marked the final lab social gathering of the academic year. The first-year M.Sc. students organised the event to provide an opportunity for them to spend quality time interacting with the senior and junior students who had looked after them. We were also treated to a few words from our graduates. It certainly brings back a flood of memories.
After the after-party, we took the final group photo of the year.
It was a wonderful team. Let’s meet again soon. Until then, we’re breaking up temporarily.
The HUAG (Hiroshima University Architecture Group) course “Architectural Seminar II” offers third-year students an opportunity to experience research-lab activities. In our laboratory, under the theme “Techniques for Planning the Regeneration of Architectural Spaces,” students worked on a project to reinterpret the shopping center inside the Motomachi Apartment Complex in central Hiroshima as a spatial resource and to propose feasible plans for its renewal.
The seminar students assigned to the laboratory visited the Motomachi high-rise apartment complex on Saturday, October 18. They then revisited the apartment complex on Saturday, November 29, where they presented their final revitalization plan proposals, developed in groups, at the rooftop community center. Ideas included “Art Space Formation,” “Motomachi Expo,” and “Community Kitchen + Children’s Cafeteria + Community Café.” The groups demonstrated a clear understanding of the complex’s issues, and some even used generative AI for logo design—showing creativity beyond faculty expectations.
Ms. Itai, who embodies multiple roles including artist, graduate student, resident, and community leader, offered warm and realistic comments on each presentation. Her multifaceted perspective was invaluable.
Afterward, all participants held a small gathering at the okonomiyaki restaurant Soei inside the shopping center. Over food, we reflected on the workshop and discussed future possibilities. The lively conversations and delicious okonomiyaki helped deepen our connections. I myself enjoyed a pork–egg–soba okonomiyaki topped with natto and green onions—so excellent.
Graduate students from our laboratory participated in a Japan–China Joint Design Workshop organized by Dalian University of Technology, Dalian Minzu University, and Hiroshima University.
This year’s assignment was to design the preservation and renewal of the houses and residential area in Bunka Street in Dalian, which were developed and supplied by a Japanese company in the first half of the 20th century.
Although the theme was quite challenging, students from both countries worked collaboratively and successfully compiled their results. There were several interesting planning and design proposals, but more importantly, I believe it was a wonderful experience for the students to interact with peers from a neighboring country—thinking together, overcoming differences in language, customs, and culture, and arriving at a shared solution.
We are now friends across neighboring countries, and I sincerely hope they will keep in touch and cultural exchanges in the future.
From September 9–12, 2025, the AIJ Annual Meeting (Kyushu) was held at Kyushu University’s Ito Campus.
Students from the Sumikura–Ishigaki Laboratory presented their work — 16 in the academic session (2 doctoral, 14 master’s) and 2 in the design session.
The students enjoyed the atmosphere of the conference, and a reunion with alumni was also held, where former members, now studying at other universities, seemed well.
Lab’s participants also enjoyed architecture tours and local cuisine.
The next conference will be held in Hiroshima, 2026.