co+labo radović     Graduation Day for co+labo PhD, Masters and Undergraduate students   
As every year, late March is the period of Keio Graduation ceremonies. This was a celebration for co+labo PhDs Vedrana Ikalović and Marco Capitanio, four Masters students - Mayuko Mikogami, Keitaro Onishi, Ayumu Magome (who will, later this year also have a Double Degree Graduation at Politecnico di Milano) and Kobayashi Daisuke (photos above, with their senshu colleagues and professors and  with Vedrana and Marco below), and SD graduates Amami Iwata, Jumpei Kawamoto, Shinichi Nishibori, Hiroaki Shigemura (who are all continuing their Masters studies at co+labo), and Motomi Matsubara (photo at the bottom, who continues his studies at Kyoto University).
Sincere co+labo congratulations to all of our 2018 graduates, and best wishes at their next steps.

co+labo radović     Darko's Theory+Practice of Urbanity at the University of Florence, DIDA  

Following an invitation from Professor Leonardo Chiesi to take part in his innovative course Sociology of Architecture at the University of Florence, Dipartimento di Architettura - DiDa, on 26 February 2019 Darko has delivered a lecture and introduced a workshop entitled Immersion into the residual - fragments from the Theory and Practice of Urbanity (TPU). In broadest terms, the lecture, which focused at some of the key aspects of his research-led subject TPU, was aimed at opening discussion about the the ways in which cities get thought, made and lived. The lecture addressed the idea(l) of urbanity through a number of themes, favouring those which are related to the plurality, coexistence and simultaneity of the ways of living urban life. From the opening, essential question “what makes cities - cities”, the focus moved on the importance of everyday life, Lefebvrian concept of residual and bottom-up power, towards the importance of immersion, (inter)action and lived experience. That has set the basis for fieldwork component of TPU@UniFi, and handed the lead over to students, and their explorative and imaginative actions during the fieldwork.

The lecture was bookended by two Sketch and Script impromptu exhibitions of artwork by Davisi Boontharm. As during the TPU at Politecnico di Milano (2017) and its fragments at National University of Singapore (2018), the purpose of Davisi's exhibitions of drawings and watercolours and conversations with students was to inspire, and to lead and elevate the discourse on urban quality into the realm of visual interactions. TPU@UniFi fieldwork (26.2-5.2.2019) focused at search of nothing less than the essence of the urban. The task was to seek oeuvre beyond the spectacular, in everyday spaces of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and to communicate the discovered quality - in a unique, innovative souvenir format which was introduced and tested at co+labo radović in 2018.  

The review of reports included discussions, appraisal of the works presented and - electro encephalograph (EEG) assisted insights into emotional responses to the souvenirs (above, a brief insight into Darko's brain).

co+labo radović   just happened: 10th co+labo anniversary marked at the 2019 obi(dg)kai   
Time flies ...  
co+labo radović was established in March 2009. 
At the start of 2019 the tenth generation of students have graduated and the thirteenth generation entered co+labo. The traditional obikai ("old boys" party, which at co+labo translates into old boys+dear girls party) has brought together a number of graduates, friends and associates to share memories, what they do and plan. 

Besides Darko, Davisi Boontharm and the member of the original teaching team - Jorge Almazan, at the party were:

co+labo friends and associates: Rafael Balboa, Hashimoto Tamao, Iwase Ryoko, Oka Hiromoto, Meijo Toshiki, Milanovic Mirjana, Nakamura Ko, Saikawa Takumi, Kondo Tetsuo;

co+labo PhD graduates Milica Muminovic, Vedrana Ikalovic, post Doctoral Fellows Alice Covatta, Ana Medina; 

co+labo graduates: 1st generation, Kamamatsu Ryo and Ikeda Taku (left, with Darko and a lovely 10th anniversary present); 2nd generation: Takei Takashi, Torii Koshiro, Watanabe Takaaki, Yokose Hirotaka; 3rd generation: Komatsu Katsuhito, Rakuman Shigeru; 4th generation: Shinohara Masato; 5th generation: Akatsuka Ken, Kobayashi Kosuke; 6th generation: Kanemaru Mayumi, Sasamura Yoshihiro; 7th generation: Amano Ryoto, Sato Yuta; 8th generation: Maruyama Hiroo, Miyagaki Tomotake, Suzuki Akitaka, Tsuji Soyoka; 9th generation: Kusano Shota, Magome, Ayumu, Yamamori Hisamu; 10th generation: Kobayashi Daisuke, Onishi Keitaro, Mikogami Mayuko, Morimoto Mei; 11th generation: Kato Shun, Motoyama Masatoshi, Kinoshita Norimi, Samejima Takuomi, Yang Xuan; 12th generation: Iwata Amami, Kawamoto Jumpei, Matsubara Motomi, Nishibori Shinichi, Shigemura Horoki; and co+labo incoming students, 13th generation: Mori Yuki, Yang Muxi.

co+labo radović  school year ends with Masters and Graduation Thesis defence sessions   

School year 2018-19 has ended with successful defence of all co+labo research theses - Masters: Mikogami Mayuko, Kobayashi Daisuke, Magome Ayumu and Keitaro Onishi (on the photo above), and System Design Engineering Graduation theses: Iwata Amami, Kawamoto Jumpei, Matsubara Motomi, Nishibori Shinichi and Shigemura Hiroki. The list of their research themes reflects the diversity of research interests pursued within co+labo at this moments:
Mikogami: "The Potential of War-Related Sites for Conservation, Adaptive Reuse and Requalification in Kanazawa"
Kobayashi: Cinematic Methods of Capturing Urban Identity in Japanese Films (1948-2013) -A Case of Ginza, Tokyo"

Magome: "The Study of Food Stands in Public Spaces of Business Districts  - The Case Study Central Tokyo"

Onishi: "The Potential of Privately Owned Public Space for Public Interest in professional sports facilities in Japan"

Iwata: "Indoor-outdoor interaction in Japanese archery facilities  and its impact on the quality of training and experience"

Kawamoto: "The Sense of “Yama” and Evaluation of its Perception a case study of Atago, Shiba and Roppongi, Tokyo"

Matsubara: "The Integrated Analysis of Spatial Experience in Time Transition, a case of Reversible Destiny Lofts. Mitaka"

Nishibori: "Evaluation of Spatial Diversity of glass-façade stores - a case study of Kuhonbutsugawa Ryokudo, Jiyugaoka"

Shigemura: "Contemporary Small Residential Buildings with Additional Function in Tokyo: layout, sequences, perception".

In co+labo, diversity matters. One of the key aims of education in the laboratory is to help students discover their own architectural/urbanist selves, through investigation of the themes and ways they feel comfortable and excited with. This school year was very successful in that regards. Sincere co+labo congratulations to all who have successfully completed and defended their works. Special co+labo congratulations go to Magome Ayumu, whose Masters Thesis defence made him the second Double Degree Keio-Politecnico di Milano graduate.  Congratulazioni, Mago!
Image below: 
Daiskue Kobayashi's fascinating synthesis map of cinematic representations of urban character of Ginza (1948-2013)