Tokyo Tech News
Tokyo Tech News
Published: January 23, 2020
The Hisao & Hiroko Taki Plaza (hereafter Taki Plaza), a new student exchange hub currently under construction on Tokyo Tech's Ookayama Campus, looks set to open its doors in late 2020. In line with the building's concept — a space where international and Japanese students connect, deepen ties, and create the future together — the Institute's students have been planning the best way to utilize the four floors of the facility. They have now released their proposed floor concept.
The Taki Plaza Student Working Group, made up of roughly ten students who were also present at the Taki Plaza planning workshop in October 2018, have proposed the following concept.
Floor concept proposed by students:
2nd floor: Technology
1st floor: Association
B1 floor: Knowledge
B2 floor: Inspiration
Inspired by the hill that Ookayama Campus sits on, the concept emulates a single tree with four distinct parts. The B2 floor represents the "roots" that absorb the nutrients and water required for life. It contains an event space and workshop area where peer interaction yields inspiration. The B1 floor is the "trunk" that withstands all the elements. It contains study abroad and career support functions, and offers students a place to learn about the world and themselves, research proactively, and attain the knowledge required to surmount all obstacles. The first floor — with its public cafe, art area, and other features — is a flourishing "branch" that deepens interactions and generates meaningful associations with the outside world. The second-floor group research area is the "fruit" of personal strength cultivated from the B2 level up to this crowning floor, where students and others ultimately yield the rich rewards of technology.
The Student Working Group has worked with faculty and staff since the planning stages of Taki Plaza. They have visited numerous other universities in search of inspiration and ideas. They have also joined forces with the student management team of Attic Lab, a co-working space that opened on campus in April 2019, to brainstorm the potential functions of the second-floor group research area in Taki Plaza.
The Student Working Group will also host sessions in the near future to collect opinions from other student groups regarding the potential uses of Taki Plaza.
Students visiting iCommons,
the student exchange space at Konan University
Seeking inspiration from Academic Theater at Kindai University
At KUIS8, the independent learning support facility
at Kanda University of Foreign Studies
Study abroad discussions and games with Konan University tutor
Students discussing ideas at Attic Lab
The Hisao & Hiroko Taki Plaza website
, which was launched in November 2019, contains detailed information on the structure's floors and the progress of construction. The site also includes messages from various stakeholders such as the main donor, the architects, the Tokyo Tech president, and a student working group representative. The anticipated facility also has its own Facebook and Twitter pages.
Taki Plaza exterior after completion
Image courtesy of Kengo Kuma and Associates
Contact
Support Planning Group, Student Support Division
Email gak.sie@jim.titech.ac.jp
Tel +81-3-5734-3011
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