On Friday, October 17th, Prof. Dr. Oya Atalay Franck, shared her insights in a webinar on educating architects, planners, and engineers for a sustainable and circular built environment. The session, part of the ZHAW–Swissnex Staff Mobility Program, reflected on her first weeks in Japan, where she visited universities, research laboratories, architectural sites, and met with peers and industry professionals.
During her travels, Prof. Franck explored how Japanese building culture bridges tradition and innovation — from craftsmanship and material intelligence to digital design and urban regeneration. Her cross-disciplinary perspective, connecting design, technology, material sciences, and social sciences, offered a unique lens on how sustainability can be taught, learned, and practiced across fields. Highlighting the cultural dimension of sustainability, she emphasized that it is not only a technical challenge but also rooted in respect for materials, continuity, and collaboration. As Prof. Dr. Oya Atalay Franck reminds us:
To build sustainably means to work together, to stay curious, and to design with social responsibility and imagination for sufficiency.
Webinar recording: "Sustainable Building Cultures in Japan: Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives"
During the first part of her sabbatical, Prof. Franck has already met with multiple institutions, peers, industry partners, and visited architectural sites, gathering cross-disciplinary insights connecting design, technology, material sciences, and social sciences. Her explorations in Japan are ongoing, and much more is planned until the end of November, promising further discoveries and opportunities for international collaboration in sustainable architecture and education.
Our mission is to foster strong connections between Swiss and Japanese universities and research institutes. We strive to enhance collaboration, innovation, and exchange of knowledge through a variety of programs and initiatives. Our goal is to build a robust network that supports academic excellence and mutual growth in both nations.
From June 19 to August 17, Professor Selçuk Yildrim visited Japan through the ZHAW–Swissnex Staff Mobility Program to connect with researchers and industry experts in sustainable food packaging. Explore his key findings and comparative insights from his experiences in Switzerland, Europe and observations in Japan.
From June 30 to July 11, the two researchers Dr. Konrad Graser & Dr. Alex Walzer from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) came to Osaka, to explore deeper the question of How can robotics transform the way we build? Through events and meetings, they dived deeper into the transdisciplinary perspective of construction building and the relationship between human and robotics.
On May 23, 2025, the Swiss Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka became a launchpad for forward-thinking discussions on the future of air traffic. Held during the Expo’s theme week on The Future of Community and Mobility, the full-day event—The Future of Air Traffic—brought together pioneers from Japan and Switzerland to explore the evolving world of air mobility, avionics, and human-machine collaboration.
Can humans be friends with AI?—Researchers Thomas Keller, Elke Brucker-Kley, and Isabelle Stutz, from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), explored the question through cross-cultural and interdisciplinary workshops at the World Expo 2025 Osaka and in Kyoto.
Through a collaboration with Swissnex, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) works to internationalize its scientific and academic programs by offering its researchers and staff the opportunity to travel the globe to advance their research and professional connections.
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Minami Kotani
