Japan Studio
CARE HUBS Designing Thresholds of Care 2024
Chie Konno, Wataru Doi, Yukari Iwata + Erik Fichter, Lowis Gujer
The goal of the course was to develop a new type of community center for rural villages. Otelfingen was chosen as a fictional test site for two main reasons: First, it is a typical rural village with an aging and culturally diverse population—making it a perfect fit for the topic. Second, its traditional wooden buildings are of architectural interest and offer rich inspiration for design.
In the first four weeks, 22 architecture students worked in pairs or small groups to study the social and spatial characteristics of Otelfingen. They visited schools and kindergartens, joined in local cafés and events, and talked with people on the street, in shops, and in the village bar “Höfli.” The goal was to understand local needs and opinions about the village’s current spaces. The students then translated their findings into large drawings, which were shown in an exhibition at the old mill in early October. The event drew a lot of interest from locals, and the conversations with them were very helpful for the students’ further work—because designing a community center means understanding the community itself.
Link to the semester booklet – CARE HUBS Designing Thresholds of Care 2024:
https://kaijima.arch.ethz.ch/JP2_HS2024_Booklet.pdf
Link to the municipality of Otelfingen – News on Care Hubs by ETH Zürich:
Behavioral Analysis of Children, Elderly, and Migrants in Otelfingen.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the students developed their own architectural projects with great energy. The goal was to work with existing buildings, and each group selected a site. One group focused on the area around the train station, including the station restaurant and the old Villa Güller, which had recently been put up for sale. Their idea was to open the villa to both the station and the village, creating a new village square between the platform, the restaurant, and a nearby artist’s studio. They reimagined the functions of these spaces: adding a daycare center, a café, a community workshop, and housing for the elderly in the upper floors of the station restaurant. A new wooden deck would extend the restaurant into the public space.
Another group decided to build on the potential of the old mill, which already has a cultural function. Their focus was on the neglected garden behind the mill, which they brought back to life with several small interventions: the old brewery becomes a public kitchen, the house behind it becomes a greenhouse, and the warehouse behind the mill becomes a shared woodworking space. The three students took inspiration from children in local schools and kindergartens, designing these new functions as part of a kind of “everyday school” that complements the official school system.
The design studio was led by the Chair of Architectural Behaviorology, taught by Professor Momoyo Kaijima. She promotes a holistic approach to architecture, where buildings, nature, and people are seen as interconnected and always changing over time. Her method analyzes the behaviors of different people involved in a space and uses these observations to guide architectural decisions.
To support this work, she invited three academic guests from Japan, who have long studied the design of care institutions. They look critically at how care has evolved in Japan in recent decades. With falling birth rates, an aging population, and more migration, they argue that state-run social systems can no longer provide all the care needed by vulnerable groups—such as seniors, people with disabilities, children, and asylum seekers. Instead, we need new types of care architecture that support mutual help and community-based solutions beyond traditional systems.
Selection of student work.
Selection of student work.
Selection of student work.
Selection of student work.
Selection of student work.
Selection of student work.
Selection of student work.
