Charlotte’s Bella Swanson Gets Architecturally Exposed to Japan
Bella Swanson, a senior architecture major, spent a month this summer abroad in Shinjuku, Japan, studying contemporary Japanese urbanism with 33 classmates and Chris Jarrett, professor of architecture; Jeffrey Nesbit, visiting assistant professor of architecture; and Rachel Dickey, associate professor of architecture.
From the crowded streets of Tokyo to the quiet beaches of Japan’s coastline, Swanson experienced how architecture shifts to reflect its surroundings.
“With any architecture trip, the purpose is to expose us to other cultures, to other ways of design and how we can take those designs and implement them into our own thought process,” said Swanson.
Projects with Impact
Swanson worked on four projects during the month-long trip: a case study on a building in Tokyo, a signage project for Japanese “Drinking Alleys,” an observational project and an intervention focused on energy in Tomigaya.
During the signage project, Swanson partnered with students from Meiji University to brainstorm ways signs can be used in Yokochos or “Drinking Alleys.” This three-day workshop was eye-opening for Swanson as she worked alongside advanced Japanese students.
“It was a challenge, but it was nice because I learned a lot,” said Swanson. “I didn’t have some of the skills that the graduate students had, but they would teach me and help me.”
In Tomigaya, a neighborhood in a sub-district of Tokyo, Swanson was tasked with making an observation about a place completely new to her.
“As I was walking through the site, I realized there was a sense of loneliness in Tokyo,” said Swanson. “It is not uncommon to do things alone in Tokyo, so I chose to observe that concept.”
She landed on something poetic and melancholy: Crowded Tokyo Streets Make Quiet Souls.
Swanson’s final project also took place in Tomigaya, an intervention with a focus on energy. Her group’s goal was to work through ways of heat reduction, with each member tackling an individual part of the assignment.
Swanson focused on reducing heat for the ground plane of a house. She devised the idea of misting stones, a way to enjoy a quick break from the heat when you step on them.
“If I had more time, I would create a sponge city where the medians in the road would collect the water that circulates through the stepping stones, and it would mimic the water cycle,” said Swanson.