Conceptual Keywords

• Design with Nature

• Co-living

• Value of Margins

• Sensing before Designing

• Regenerative Design

• Tropical Urbanism

• Adjustable Openness and Closeness

Relation to My Theme: "MARGIN SPACE"

I define "MARGIN SPACE" as a place where nature and people can comfortably coexist at a balanced distance. Such space is sustained by a dynamic balance of "openness" and "adjustable closeness"—not spaces that are always open, but ones that can shift and respond to context.

From this perspective, the Jaibaan Studio site itself was a MARGIN SPACE. It integrates wetlands, forest trails, residences, cafés, and production spaces into one harmonious landscape. People and non-human beings alike can control their engagement and distance—birds flock to the water basin, insects nest in the underbrush, people gather under tree shade, and children attend workshops in designated zones.

It is neither a fully open public space nor an exclusive private property; it has an atmospheric quality of "in-between-ness." These urban marginal spaces are not just leftover lands—they hold the seeds for new relationships between humans and nature.

Personal Reflections and Critical Takeaways

Although I’m not directly involved in architectural design in my daily work, my time at Jaibaan Studio gave me profound insights into the nature of space and our relationship with the environment.

One of the biggest takeaways was the idea that a designer’s role is not to impose new order on the landscape but to listen closely to what the landscape is already saying. This reminded me how often we overlook existing value in pursuit of results or functionality.

Their regenerative approach also redefined how I view time in the design process. It's not about immediate outcomes, but about long-term ecological recovery—envisioning spaces where humans and wildlife coexist decades from now. It gave me hope that city-making can align with cycles of life and healing.

Most importantly, I was encouraged to rethink what we often dismiss as peripheral or marginal space. These edges of the city, where nothing seems to happen, may hold the true essence of the urban future. Jaibaan Studio’s practices infused my understanding of "MARGIN SPACE" with deeper meaning. The idea that "not too open, not too closed" spaces might form the backbone of future urban comfort left a strong impression on me.

Conclusion

Through For Cities Week 2025, I was invited to rethink some fundamental questions: What is a city? What is nature? And who is space really for? My experience at Jaibaan Studio went beyond design—it deepened my understanding of the essential relationship between cities, people, and nature.

Going forward, I want to bring the concept of "MARGIN SPACE" into my local context in Japan. Our cities are full of underused, overlooked gaps. But in these margins, I believe, lie the seeds of new urban narratives—spaces where something new can emerge. And those stories may begin in spaces that are "not too open, not too closed," but instead delicately balanced, offering room to breathe and room to belong.