YKK AP Inc.’s Research Support for Harvard University Graduate School of Design Extended through the 2026 Academic Year

YKK AP Inc. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Akira Uozu) is pleased to announce that it has decided to continue its support for "design studio", a course at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), which it supported over the 2024 and 2025 academic years, into 2026.

A design studio is a type of course centered around intensive design teaching, where GSD faculty and students propose a vision for a sustainable future through field research around the world. Thus far, YKK AP has conducted two courses, one about Kyoto, the birthplace of the Kyoto Protocol, and one about Kurobe (Toyama Prefecture), a model for its realization. These took place over two consecutive academic years, from August 2024 to January 2025 and from August 2025 to January 2026. Employees also served as associate members, providing research information and support for activities during the students’ field trips to each site.

We have now decided to extend our support with the aim of communicating the YKK Group’s commitment to environmental issues to the world, harnessing one of the world’s most prestigious design education programs to develop YKK AP’s human resources and connections with the GSD. Practical research support, to take place in Kurobe once again, is planned for the 2026 academic year, which begins in August. By working with GSD professors and students on landscape design for creating a sustainable future, employees who become associate members will acquire a wide variety of perspectives on nature, the environment, culture, and daily life, as well as different ways of thinking about landscapes, which they will apply to their business activities.

Field Research in Kurobe (Kurobe Studio)
Dates:　September 30–October 4, 2024
Participating students:　11 students taking the course "Abundance and Risk: Enhancing Resiliency in the Hydraulic Landscape of Kurobe"

＜Activity Details＞
In Kurobe, where a rich natural environment and sustainable corporate activities coexist in harmony, participants enhanced their knowledge of landscape design at various scales, learning about the dynamic water resource system created by the 4,000-meter difference in elevation from the 3,000-meter-high Tateyama mountain range to the 1,000-meter-deep Toyama Bay, as well as agriculture, industry, and YKK Real Estate’s energy-saving "PASSIVETOWN", which features low-energy development and housing solutions harnessing natural energy sources such as wind and groundwater. As part of the survey of the Kurobe River alluvial fan area, participants visited the Unazuki Dam, small dams in the alluvial fan area, terrain changes caused by flooding of the Kurobe River, and the Kasumi dike, a measure to control such flooding. The tour showed that, thanks to the tireless efforts of local people, the community has coexisted with the Kurobe River, which used to cause repeated flooding, and that the area’s abundant water resources are used for power generation, agriculture, and other purposes.
In addition, in May 2025, a symposium was held in Kurobe City to discuss the "vision of a sustainable future for Kurobe" and introduce the Kurobe Studio’s initiatives and research findings to the local community.

Field Research in Kyoto (Kyoto Studio)
Dates:　October 6–10, 2025
Participating students:　13 students (*) taking the course "Presence of Water: Garden Inherency and New Hydraulic Culture of Kyoto"
* A different group of participants from the 2024 academic year

＜Activity Details＞
As part of the Kyoto City survey, participants visited Kamigamo Shrine and Shimogamo Shrine, Mizorogaike Pond, the Fushimi Canal, and the confluence of the three tributaries of the Yodo River. To enhance their knowledge of landscape design in the long-historied city of Kyoto, they also toured various locations in Kyoto City, including the mountains, the upstream and downstream of the Kamo River, and residential areas where machiya townhouses remain.
The presence of water in shrines, gardens, and ponds revealed the deep relationship that water has with Kyoto's culture and lifestyle, while visits to confluence points and riverbanks highlighted the city's geographical characteristics shaped by the abundance of water. In addition, from the visit to the Lake Biwa Canal, the participants also learned about the history of hydro-engineering in Kyoto.