Buffalo University students explore speculative geometrical designs at FabCafe

Program Introduction

The State University of New York at Buffalo, a longstanding collaborator with FabCafe Tokyo, was able to reenter Japan for their summer study abroad program this year for the first time since 2019. This year’s program, spearheaded by University at Buffalo Assistant Professor Nicholas Bruscia and FabCafe Tokyo Chief Technology Officer and Chief Operating Officer Daiki Kanaoka, focused on developing novel geometric structures using materials acquired locally in Hida, Gifu Prefecture, a mountainous town located in central Japan. 

While the majority of the program this year took place in Tokyo, the students were also able to experience a “3-day Hida Residency Program,” where they spoke to local artisans and residents and learned about the local wood manufacturing industry. In Tokyo, the students worked with Hida lumber to craft geometric structures and explored ethnographic approaches for personal projects on Tokyo’s life and architecture. Through FabCafe, they were also able to connect with Japanese artists such as Tokolo Asao, the designer for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics emblems, who gave the students a special lecture about geometry and patterns in design.

Flexibility and adaptability: unplanned results and new connections

University at Buffalo Assistant Professor Nicholas Bruscia (left) and FabCafe Tokyo CTO and COO Daiki Kanaoka (right).

Allison (FabCafe): The program was finally able to reenter Japan again this year. Was there a particular goal or aim you had going into this summer’s program?

Nick (University at Buffalo): In preparing for this summer’s program, I reflected on our 2019 research where we worked with compressed timber from Hida which was converted hardwood into a soft, pliable material to make woven structures. I wanted to somehow combine my current research interests in disclinations with this experience. 

This year, we found there was an overlap between my current research, the materials in Hida, and Daiki’s work done at Tachi Lab at the University of Tokyo. We were all focusing on geometry somehow. So it felt like a natural connection for the main focus this year to use some of these really unique materials that we found in Hida while focusing on incorporating elements of geometric design.

Daiki has been involved in the University at Buffalo program since its inception.

Allison: How would you say the program has evolved over the years? The University at Buffalo and FabCafe have been collaborating together to make this program possible for many years now.

Daiki (FabCafe Tokyo): I’d say the first few years were focused on absorbing the Japanese artisans’ techniques and from there we started to think more seriously about how we can actively collaborate with them in actually making something unique. Throughout our years of collaboration and adaptation, we have come to prioritize the actual making process as being the most important thing, rather than the end result.

Allison: Going into the program this year, what did you want to achieve?

Nick: This year we were very flexible. We knew what we wanted to do but were not exactly sure what the end result would be. We wanted to use materials from Ibata Interior–a furniture producer in Hida–again, but we weren’t sure what we wanted to create exactly. And we definitely wanted to try and use their molded plywood in some way.

I think the big thing we were able to accomplish was that our visit to Hida helped establish our relationship with not just Ibata Interior but also Chuo Sangyo–another local furniture company. I don’t think anyone from outside of Japan has worked with that company yet. Also Tanaka Kenchiku, a construction company in Hida.

University at Buffalo students discussing their prototypes at their studio space at FabCafe.

Allison: So creating new connections was a prominent theme in the program. Why do you think this is important? Have there been any other notable exchanges?

Daiki: It’s great to collaborate with various Japanese companies, but rather than just forming new connections, I think it’s more interesting if we can create opportunities for the students to be involved in the local fabrication ecosystem in Hida. 

Instead of just doing the same things every year where the students just go there, collaborate, and then come back, we want to create a deeper connection. Even after they go back to the United States, I want the students to be able to feel like they can always collaborate with Japanese companies. This is why we think very deeply about how we can welcome them properly and integrate them into the local ecosystem.

Artist and designer Tokolo Asao gave the students a lecture on his philosophy of rule-based design principles he calls “Individual and Group” that he used to create the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics emblems.

Nick: Exactly, the network that FabCafe has is amazing. New opportunities just always seem to come up while we’re at FabCafe, so we always try to stay flexible and pursue them. Apart from being able to visit Hida, we had a visit from Professor Tachi and his students from the University of Tokyo.

We also had a lecture by Tokolo Asao, which was just great. It was excellent. Asao designed the logo for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and explained his particular methodology to us–a very rule-based design process, similar to our own research with geometry. So for the students to be able to hear someone at that level talk about it, I think it really inspires the work.

Students used the digital fabrication machines on the 1st and 2nd floor of FabCafe, such as laser cutters, for rapid prototyping.

Allison: Would you say you tend to take more exploratory approaches every year?

Nick: Yes, actually that’s true. There are opportunities made available to us through FabCafe and we just try to match them and their resources with some of the work that we’re doing that we’re interested in. We try to always bring something that’s specific to either the manufacturing process or the material of who we’re collaborating with through FabCafe. Hopefully, what we do with it is a different way of thinking about that material for them.

Allison: Do you think there’s value in taking this exploratory approach for the students? I think this is a pretty unique approach for an academic program.

Nick: I mean, sometimes I would like to have a more defined output. But overall, I do think it’s important to have this kind of approach throughout the program. Being able to think on your feet and being able to respond to changes on the fly is a very relevant skill to have as a designer and especially as a fabricator. These things happen all the time, where you have architects who have some preconceived idea for what should happen, but then they meet the people building it or the manufacturers that are involved in that process and things change.

I think the best projects always balance those two aspects equally, not just imposing the will of the design onto the manufacturer and vice versa. There needs to be balance in spontaneity. 

The students’ studio space at FabCafe Tokyo. It is an open collaboration space where the students can freely interact with each other and the people making use of the FabCafe coworking space.

Daiki: I think by taking this approach, the students can also reflect on what they’ve learned in Japan as they go about completing their projects. Even before going to Hida, they spent a lot of time in Tokyo and learning about Japanese culture and the overall patterns of life here.

So I think having a little room for the students to play around with, where they can incorporate what they’ve learned at every step of the program, is important. In addition, I think that it speaks to the atmosphere of FabCafe. We don’t decide everything from the start and so we expect uncontrolled outcomes in the collaborations we do here.

Combining local materials from Hida with geometric patterns

Allison: Can you tell me a bit about what you did in Hida this year?

Daiki: We were able to collaborate and have discussions with many local artisans and factories and were able to do some “material hunting,” where we found unique materials for the students to use while creating their projects back in Tokyo.

The program includes a visit to Hida so the students can get a more hands-on experience learning about local lumber and its manufacturing process. While visiting local companies, the students come to appreciate the process more while also getting exposure to life in rural Japan, which is a very different environment from their usual studio space in Tokyo.

Nick: While doing “material hunting” in Hida, we bought some unique materials–a kind of molded plywood–from a local furniture manufacturer. We were also able to visit several inspirational local businesses related to our work. And then we also brought back some of that compressed timber which we’re going to use to make something at a really large scale.

Nick discussing a prototype he and his students made at FabCafe Tokyo.

Allison: Is that what this large sphere is? A prototype for that?

Nick: Yeah, and there is a much bigger version of this being built right now out of sticks of the compressed timber we brought back from Hida. This sphere is the beginning of that. We don’t really know what the end result will be. It may be smaller, but it might also end up being about 170 centimeters in diameter. We’ll take it apart before we leave.

Allison: Human-sized.

Nick: It will hopefully be human-sized, yeah. You’d be able to walk into it, ideally.

Introducing Japan: not just tourists, students’ impressions and growth in the program

Allison: Can you tell me a bit about the research you’ve been doing and your experience here?

Mike (Student): Our first project after arriving was carrying out individual studies on different areas around Tokyo, as well as documenting our first impressions about something. That was really fun. After we came back from Hida, we switched our focus to doing work with differential growth in geometries both on the computer and physically. 

University at Buffalo students Megan Wysocki (left) and Julia Wade (right) with one of their models.

Megan and Julia work on assembling their model after cutting the wood they acquired in Hida using the laser cutter.

Allison: Sounds interesting. So what would you say you’ve been able to accomplish at FabCafe as not just a place, but also as a network? Have you had any standout experiences?

Megan: Everyone has been so nice and welcoming. Without FabCafe we wouldn’t have had the opportunities we had in Hida through their networks with other businesses that we could visit. Furthermore, the resources we have at our fingertips at FabCafe in Tokyo–like the laser cutters and the staff–have been amazing. Also the coffee.

Julia: Definitely the coffee. Also, the atmosphere of FabCafe is really inspiring for creativity. There are displays all around that give you new ideas, and having so many people coworking together in one space really gets you thinking about different kinds of designs and how you can incorporate new things in your discipline.

University at Buffalo student Mike Napier with one of his prototypes.

Allison: Great, I’m glad. Finally, what do you think you’ve learned during the program that you think will be useful to you going back and even toward your future career?

Mike: I’ve had so much fun learning about real applications for geometry and woodworking. I feel like I have been made aware of so many more paths that I can go down since being here, so I’m really happy about that. 

Julia: And then in Hida, we learned about wood joinery and how connections can be made more beautifully rather than just crudely screwing two things together. Like, how simple things can be expressed more beautifully.

Megan: Yeah. I think also a big thing that we’ve learned from Tokyo itself is taking like a closer look at the everyday details. 

Julia: The organized chaos of the city, haha. And I don’t know if it’s because the people are so nice here or because it’s well-organized, but I just think that there’s a certain feeling here that you don’t get if you’re not here physically. 

Students receive advice as they work on their projects. FabCafe’s fabrication facilities allow them to quickly create when they get inspiration or want to make changes to their models.

Allison: Daiki, did you have anything you wanted the students to accomplish or any particular hopes for them and their experience?

Daiki: For all of the students, it was their first time in Japan, and for most of them, it was their first time abroad. This year the students were able to stay in Japan for about six weeks. I think there’s a huge difference between just traveling to Japan and living here, and staying here for six weeks is closer to living here. They also didn’t just stay in Tokyo but were able to go to rural places like Hida and learn about the local way of life there and even the situation of local artisans and industries. It’s very different from Tokyo and the industries there struggle to connect to the next generation.

So I wanted them to be able to open their minds a bit in a place that they have never lived while using a digital approach–which they already learned in Buffalo–to think about how they would tackle local problems. I believe this program accomplished it.

Building on experience to create long-term impact

Allison: Why do you think FabCafe is an ideal place for this kind of program to be held?

Daiki: I think this speaks to our collaboration and flexibility. As the students are using this space alongside us, there are always other people walking around and they can see what they are doing and interact with them. When people come to Japan, I want to connect them to interesting people as much as possible. Also, our cafe is always a place for collaboration, so it’s a different experience than just renting a classroom here.

In the case of our project with the University at Buffalo, I think our collaboration is entering the next phase and evolving into something special with more long-term impact on both the students and the local community in Hida. 

Allison: So, things are only just starting. 

University at Buffalo Assistant Professor Nicholas Bruscia on a tour with his students in Hida.

Nick: Yeah, I feel like we’ve only just scratched the surface of some of the new aspects of this program and the relationships we are forming. I’m really excited about how that can continue. We also have some other pretty big ideas that are probably a little bit too early to talk about, but hopefully, we can build on them next year. 

So many new things have come up that I wish I had two more months to explore. What I’m really liking is that we feel like we’re developing momentum, and I think projects can actually build up to some pretty big results.