Explore how computational design, robotic fabrication and AI-driven systems can move beyond productivity and efficiency to redefine the human role in construction with Yusuke Obuchi, Frank Gehry International Visiting Chair in Architectural Design at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design.

Drawing on psychological insights such as the Endowment Effect, Obuchi examines how empathy emerges when people are directly engaged in making and maintaining their environments. Together, these perspectives highlight a shift in design—where technology and human empathy converge to cultivate more meaningful, resilient and sustainable futures.

Yusuke Obuchi is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Tokyo, where he has directed the Obuchi Laboratory since 2010 and co-founded the Advanced Design Studies Program. Previously, he co-directed the Design Research Laboratory at the Architectural Association in London (2005–2010). He studied architecture at Princeton, SCI-Arc, and the University of Toronto, and has taught at Princeton, Harvard GSD, Hong Kong University, the University of Kentucky, and NJIT. He currently holds the Frank Gehry International Visiting Chair in Architectural Design at the Daniels Faculty.