As universities are expected to contribute to the local community, our university has responded to requests from local governments and companies in the prefecture for community collaboration activities that lead to design education and research. The following are the three main types of activities.

(1) Commissioned from local governments in the prefecture

As a public university, our university has strong ties with Shizuoka Prefecture and municipalities in the prefecture. We have many opportunities to receive various design commissions for architecture, landscape design, and graphic design. When commissioned, our graduate students play a central role in designing and producing the following projects, serving as practical education.

《Main examples》

• Shizuoka Prefecture, Western Regional Management Center, “Design of an earthquake experience vehicle”. (Fig. 1)
• Shizuoka Prefecture, “Research on architectural design for the development of a university specializing in agriculture, forestry, and environment”
• Shizuoka Prefecture, “Research on architectural design for the development of the Tea Research Center of the Research Institute of Agriculture and Forestry”

(2) Participation in “The Consortium of Universities & Local Communities in Shizuoka”

Our university is a member of a consortium in the prefecture that aims to promote collaboration among higher education institutions and form networks with government and industry. We are participating in the “Project to Promote Regional Contribution by Seminar Students” to propose designs for regional revitalization. Recent examples of participation are as follows.

《Main examples》

• Shimoda City, “Proposal for the design of a shopping street that makes people want to take a walk”
• Kakegawa City, “Proposal from young people to disseminate information on Kakegawa hand-woven kudzu cloth” (Fig. 2)
• Shimada City, “Analysis of the current situation of visitors to Shimada City and proposal of measures to utilize tourism resources”

(3) Regional collaboration exercises in the university-wide curriculum

Based on the basic principles of the university since its establishment, which is “a university that fosters human resources with practical skills” and “a university that contributes to society,” we conduct activities related to the local community that are consistent with these principles as community collaboration projects. The following are some of the main examples of the projects.

《Main examples》

• “Project to develop new products using traditional craft techniques”, in collaboration with the Regional Industry Division of Shizuoka Prefecture
• “Hospital Art Project Shizuoka”, in collaboration with Shizuoka Children’s Hospital, Iwata City General Hospital, etc.
• “Project for the preservation, utilization, and maintenance of historical and traditional culture in Mori Town”

Due to the effects of the new coronavirus, external activities were suspended until September 2020. However, since the infection situation in Shizuoka Prefecture has been relatively low, regional collaboration activities have been returning since October. To secure a budget for design education and research, we are working to obtain external funding from scientific research grants and various research subsidies. Also, a future task is to strengthen the system for accepting design-related commissioned projects.

Fig 1: Example of earthquake vehicle design

Fig 2: Gift wrapping products using kudzu cloth