NEB goes to Osaka: From vision to practice: Towards beautiful, sustainable and inclusive living spaces

The European Union invites you to “NEB goes to Osaka: From Vision to Practice – Towards Beautiful, Sustainable and Inclusive Living Spaces,” a two-day conference held on 30–31 May 2025 as part of its participation in Expo 2025 Osaka. 

As part of a broader series of New European Bauhaus (NEB) events, the conference supports the Expo’s theme, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”, by promoting the NEB vision of sustainability, inclusion, and beauty.  

The conference will highlight cross-cultural dialogue and EU–Asia cooperation in architecture, urban innovation, and sustainable design. 

The first day of the conference explores the intersection of sustainability, architecture, and urban policy, fostering EU-Japan collaboration. Through speeches, keynotes, and panel discussions, experts will exchange insights on integrating traditional and modern building practices, addressing urban transformation, and strengthening connections between nature and architecture.

The second day of the conference offers a unique opportunity to explore how future skills, creative education, and sustainable design are key to building resilient and inclusive living environments. Featured by leading academics and practitioners across Europe and Japan, the session will foster mutual learning and cultural exchange, connect like-minded professionals and institutions, and pave the way for new collaborations within the NEB Academy network.

See the full event programme here.

DAY 1  

Friday, 30 May 2025, 08:00 - 11:00 (CEST) / 15:00 - 18:00 (JST)

Livestreamed

Introduction and speeches:

• Jessika Roswall, EU Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy [video message]
• Tom Gnocchi, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Japan

Panel discussion 1: Learning from Vernacular Architecture: Traditional Knowledge for a Beautiful, Sustainable, Inclusive Future

• Atsushi Takano, architect, associate professor at Kagoshima University, Japan
• Xu Tiantian, architect, founder and principal of DnA_Design and Architecture, China
• Norihisa Kawashima, architect, founder and principal of Nori Architects, associate professor at Meiji University, Japan
• Marko Huttunen, architect, restoration specialist, partner at Livady Architects, Finland
• Juulia Mikkola, architect, non-fiction author, partner at Livady Architects, Finland 

Keynote speech:

• Claire Renard and Jean-Sébastien Blanc, Studio 5.5, France

Panel discussion 2:  Rethinking Architectural Behaviour, Human-Nature Relationship, and Built Space

• Maria del Carmen Garcia Sanchez, architect, assistant professor at Rey Juan Carlos University, Spain, affiliated researcher at the Centre for Privacy Studies at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
• Byoung Cho, architect, artist, founder of BCHO Architects, South Korea
• Yoshiharu Tsukamoto, architect, co-founder of Atelier BOW-WOW, Japan

DAY 2

Saturday, 31 May 2025, 08:00 - 10:00 (CEST) / 15:00 - 17:00 (JST) 

Livestreamed

Keynote speech:

• Sou Fujimoto, architect, founder and principal of Sou Fujimoto Architects, Japan

Dialogue: Ten lectures for the Anthropocene

• Yoshiyuki Kawazoe, architect, professor, University of Tokyo, Japan
• Matti Kuittinen, architect, professor, Aalto University, Finland

The Vision and Mission of the NEB Academy

• Andreja Kutnar, architect, professor, University of Primorska, Slovenia [video greeting]

Workshop: Future skills, design and radical creativity

• Enni Äijälä, Senior Specialist, outreach and design, Aalto University
• Sini Koskimies, Communications Manager, Aalto University, Finland

Demonstration: New Wood Architecture with Augmented Reality and Circularity

• Jaakko Torvinen, architect, PhD researcher, Aalto University, Finland

Informal receptions after each conference day will provide space for networking and further exchanges. 

Check here for other "NEB goes to Osaka" events.