Moving Boundaries Global Symposium + Course - Kyoto, October 12-16, 2026

Moving Boundaries: Human Sciences and the Future of Architecture Global Symposium and Course

Neuroscience and Environmental Psychology Applied to Architecture and Design: Design for Human and Environmental Health and Wellbeing

The second phase of enrollment for the October Moving Boundaries Japan program is now open! Spaces are limited. Special (new) tuition discounts only until July 1.

Join an extraordinary journey in Kyoto, Japan for interdisciplinary professionals, practicing architects and interior designers, planners, scholars, educators and graduate students in architecture, human sciences, psychology, sociology, neuroscience – for all creatives who are passionate about design for human and environmental health! We welcome you.

This program will run from October 12-16, 2026. Join in person. It includes master faculty, private access, over 100 interdisciplinary professionals from around the world, life-changing conversations, brilliant insights, lectures and masterclasses, networking sessions, practical hands-on experiences, small-group discussion and reflection, cultural immersion in architecture, cuisine, arts and meditation, local wisdom in Japan, and architecture tours. Visit ancient temples, shrines and Zen gardens with colleagues and see modern masterpieces by Tadao Ando and other Japanese masters.

This will be the 7th edition of Moving Boundaries.

Questions? [email protected]

MB October Program Website: https://www.movingboundaries.org/japanoct2026

How to Register: www.movingboundaries.org

Read the Course Brochure - Moving Boundaries October Program: https://issuu.com/tatianaberger/docs/mb_japan_october_course_brochure?fr=sZGRhMjg2ODc4MzQ

Info: OCTOBER 12 - Session 1: Rethinking the Brain–Body Connection in the Built Environment: Learning to Design for Health. The first session of Moving Boundaries will focus on evidence-based design for health. Farrow and Valentine will lecture on salutogenic design, showing projects around the world and telling us about strategies for combining
research and practice. Analysis of case studies and a conversation with the audience will follow.

The joint lecture by Farrow and Valentine will be followed by a talk by Kurimoto, about how the scenery of a Japanese garden functions as a psychological catalyst, asking the observer to see beyond the surface. This lecture will examine the Japanese view of nature and its historical manifestations in garden design. Kurimoto will demonstrate ideas from his talk during on-site visits in historic gardens of Kyoto the next day.

Info: OCTOBER 13 - Session 2: Restorative Design: How Environments Shape Cognitive, Affective and Physiological Restoration. Kurimoto will demonstrate how the Japanese view of nature is physically manifested, during on-site visits in historic gardens of Kyoto. Robinson’s lecture will illuminate Japanese spatial concepts and their possible interpretation in contemporary design practice. Olszewska will present restorative design as a bridge between these spatial traditions and emerging research in neuroscience. Together we will explore how environments shape cognitive, affective, and physiological restoration.

Info: OCTOBER 14 - Session 3: Practical Strategies for Bridging Neuroarchitecture Research and Practice: Challenges of Cross-Disciplinary Work. The third session will focus on bridging neuroarchitecture research and practice: Nanda and Chatterjee will offer perspectives from decades of experience at the intersection of disciplines. They will offer strategies for design, education and
advocacy and they will engage the audience in a discussion about challenges of contemporary cross-disciplinary work. The professors will also discuss ways to think about the relationship between neuroscience and architecture and the complicated term "neuroarchitecture". Open discussion with the entire audience will follow.

Info: OCTOBER 15 will be a free day during which we suggest visiting Osaka, Nara, Kobe, or exploring more in Kyoto.

Info: OCTOBER 16 - Session 4: Conversation about Special Nature of Japanese Space, at the Interface of Philosophy, Psychology, Cognitive Science and Architecture: Philosophy of "Nothingness". The fourth session of Moving Boundaries will be developed at the interface of psychology, philosophy, sociology, architecture, and psychiatry. There is a wisdom to be found in philosophies of ‘nothingness’ such as those developed by the Kyoto School. They invite us to approach architecture not as an exterior structure but as a field of lived relations, and space as something that shapes us as much as we shape it.

Event venue & nearby stays

Kyoto Seika University, 137, Kyoto, Japan

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

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