It was an educational experience for a group of 10 Bachelor of Science (Honours) Construction Management students from the Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology (FEGT) when they participated in the Sakura Science Exchange Programme from 10 to 19 October 2022 at The University of Kitakyushu, Japan.

The students, namely Arivalan Muralli, Chu Wen Pei, Fabian Wong Tching Tak, Lim Jia Ying, Lim Kar Kei, Pang Wei Enn, Sannitha Er Lin Wan, Tan Jia Yi, Tay Jia Lin and Yeoh Jun Song, were accompanied by FEGT Department of Construction Management Head Dr Kwan Wai Hoe.

The group was warmly welcomed by the academics and students of The University of Kitakyushu and was later brought to tour the Hibikino Campus. The tour was led by The University of Kitakyushu Faculty of Environmental Engineering academic Prof Weijun Gao, who is also the director of Asia Institute of Urban Environment. Prof Gao explained that the campus itself is an eco-campus, which means that the campus blends with natural surroundings and environment, and uses natural energy, such as solar, rain, and wind to reduce the building’s energy consumption; making the campus a sustainable building.

Prof Gao continued explaining that the university focused on incorporating three major components, namely Environmental Symbiosis, Water Recycling and Generation of Electricity and Heat when designing the eco-campus. The students were also enlightened to learn about the building’s ventilation system. They were elucidated that the triangular façade installed on the chimney of the building is known as the solar chimney, and it functions to prevent the re-entry of external wind into the chimney, using a membrane roof. This will also enable the building to be regulated at a comfortable temperature. The students also had the opportunity to see Faculty of Environmental Engineering students’ work on designing eco-friendly building by integrating sustainable designs into their models.

While touring the campus further, the students also learnt about the university’s energy centre; the university uses a cogeneration system which combines heat and power system to produce heat and electricity concurrently. They learnt that the energy centre uses fuel cells to generate both heat and electricity, which provide better energy efficiency and environmental benefits to the university. The heat that is generated is also recovered at the centre by delivering the heat throughout the building using the steam pipes located under the building. This system contributes to the effective use of energy and the improvement of the energy centre’s reliability.

Students were also taught about the university’s sustainable use of water through its water recycling system. In the system, the sewage and wastewater are recycled by undergoing biological treatment, and are then mixed with the filtered rainwaters. They are later known as reclaimed water. The wastewater and sewage water that have been treated are then reused in the toilets for handwashing and watering the plants.

The highlight of the exchange programme was Prof Gao’s lecture titled “Mismatching in the Building Design for Energy Conservation”. The students learnt about the philosophy and responsibilities of countries to revolutionise world lifestyle. Prof Gao shared statistics on Asia’s Urbanisation, Global and Asian Energy Consumption, CO2 Emission from Energy Sector in Asia, and Urbanisation Process in Asia and its Impact on Global Warming. The information provided the students with more insights into the relationship between resources, technology and human society’s demand. He also spoke on globalisation and localisation.

Further into the lecture, Prof Gao compared traditional and conventional architecture by using architectures from various countries. He also explained sustainable architecture, green architecture, ecological building, regenerative design, and organic architecture. He further elucidated on environmental architecture, which takes into consideration the elements of outdoor climate, nature’s power, mechanical power, indoor climate, and environmental comfort. Prof Gao used the university as an example of environmental architecture, whereby a cool pit system and a solar chimney are used to circulate air throughout the building. The process is done by the wind first entering the vents located on the ground floor of the building, and is then collected at the underground cooling reservoir or pit, filled with charcoal to cool the wind. The cooled wind then is distributed through the pipes and released to the rooms and corridors through the vents, and finally exits the solar chimneys.

Cultural, historical, and architectural lessons also continued outdoors when the group visited several places. On the third day, the group visited Minatomachi, which is surrounded by many traditional buildings. They walked on the Kanmon Bridge and walked through the Kanmon Tunnel, and learned that the two structures are important in connecting Honshu and Kyushu. They also visited the Old Moji Custom Office, which was built in 1912, using red bricks and wooden frames. Today, the Old Moji Custom Office is an art gallery. When they visited the Dalian Friendship Memorial house, they learnt that it was a replica of a historical building in Dalian, built to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the friendship between Dalian and Kitakyushu. Now it is used as the Dalian Art Gallery. Meanwhile, The Sino-Japanese Peace Memorial House Museum showed the recreation of the original conference room that was used by the representatives from China and Japan. The building was also certified by the Japanese Government as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property for its “excellent example of structural design” due to its traditional design and appearance. The visit to Minatomachi enabled the students to see the congruence of Japanese design and Chinese design used in some of the buildings.

Outdoor learning continued with a visit to the ACROS Fukuoka Terrace Rooftop Garden, located in the Tenjin district. The building houses civic facilities such as offices and shops, as well as international, cultural and informative public facilities such as the Fukuoka Symphony Auditorium and the International Convention Centre. The design of the building also incorporated a green space, and the students learnt that the designers intended to make 1/4 of the entire building underground and to design the roof garden on the 1st to 13th floors (60m) above ground. Several years after its completion, the vegetation lushes, creating a green 'man-made forest' in the middle of the city, an ideal space for the people of Fukuoka to relax and enjoy.

The group also visited the Karato Market, Kushida Shrine, Yufuin Station (Isozaki), Lake Kinrin, Yunoping Street, Mokuami no Mori, Comico Art Museum Yufuin, Yufuin Station Information Center in YauFu city, Yufuin Hot Spring, Miyazaki Shrine, Kokura Castle, Amu Plaza, Umi-Jigoku, and 株式会社宮崎森林発電所, フォレストエナジー, which is a biomass energy station.

They also visited the Canal City Hakata, a large shopping and entertainment centre in Fukuoka, Japan, representing the sixth generation of commercial architecture, designed by the American architectural firm Jerde. Known as a 'city within a city', it has many attractions including shops, cafes and restaurants, theatres, games centre, cinema, two hotels and a canal running through the building. Additionally, they visited Ōita Prefectural Art Museum also known informally as OpAm. It is an art museum and community exhibition venue in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. The museum was opened in April 2015. The new museum building featured modern exhibition spaces, artists’ studios, a café and a museum shop. The building was designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban.