This course focuses on the circulation of the imaginary between cultures. It shows how major Western architects, landscape designers, painters and sculptors have been inserting sustainable architectural and landscape Japanese principles and devices into their designs since the 19th century.

Firstly, the course provides an introduction, by seven lectures, to the major sources of inspiration, principles and devices that 20th c. Westerners selected when studying Japanese pre-modern architectural and landscape projects. Secondly, students (group work max 4) will propose a sustainable innovation grounded in a specific Japanese source of inspiration: a device (tatami or shoji set, natural stone layout, etc.) or a principle (ma, miniaturisation, indirect light etc.), or combination of both. They may also propose a technical transposition done with other materials and manufacturing techniques.