BeCAT Applied Program 2025 | Final Presentation

This is a BeCAT application program that has been undertaken by second-year master's students at Kyushu University's Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies.
This program aims to develop research skills, planning and design skills, and management skills by having students participate in social implementation projects and present their research findings. This year, nine students have taken part in the program (one of whom was a collaborating student).

As the culmination of the projects and research we had been working on throughout the year, a tour of each project and a final presentation were held on February 19th.
Project partners and guests also attended the event.

Presenter 01
Daichi Shigeto, "Minamioguni Town Fragment Project - An Experiment in Celebration and Circulation through the Architectural Use of Backboards -"
BeCAT x Anai Wood Factory

This project, titled "Fragments of Leaves," was conceived as a temporary structure for the Niiname-sai (harvest festival) in Minamioguni Town, Kumamoto Prefecture. It aimed to create a space using "backboards," leftover lumber from local industries, as structural materials, thereby creating a local landscape and elevating it to a celebratory event by burning it during the Dondo-ya (New Year's bonfire) in January. The project was carried out in collaboration with Anai Lumber Factory, a local sawmill.
To find new value in backboards, which have no practical use as building materials and were only used as fuel in conventional lumber processes, we devised a unique system that bundles and joins them with stainless steel belts. By using some of the bundled backboards as columns, we attempted to create a space that feels like walking through a grove of trees by unfolding them horizontally and vertically. In order to incorporate irregularly shaped materials into the structure, we conducted numerous trials and errors, including structural experiments, to demonstrate the potential of architecture that produces subtle shadows and dappled sunlight.
While challenges remain regarding structural integrity and other aspects of the building, the project also demonstrated the potential for expansion into furniture-scale applications such as stools.

Presenter 02
Yukino Higuchi "Mataichi Tower Project"
BeCAT x Mataichi Salt

This solar heat collection tower, built by the company itself, reduces environmental impact. It was a joint project with "Mataichi no Shio" in Itoshima, and represents the culmination of five years of activity. Aiming to reduce environmental impact and improve salt production efficiency, the company repeatedly prototyped and implemented various aspects, such as the panel angle for efficient solar heat collection and a shape that is easy to build independently.
In terms of research, we verified the effectiveness of the implemented heat collection towers in terms of heating effect and salt quality, and evaluated them from the perspective of predicting changes in salt production volume and energy conservation. Furthermore, Ichinotō has become an icon that evokes "empathy" as a symbol of the tourist area, and has also served as an opportunity for visitors to take an interest in salt production.

Presenter 03Sota Mori and Lee Yein, "Formwork Reversal - Back Plate Formwork Repurposing Project -"
BeCAT x Asmio.

We proposed a circular construction method that uses "backboards," a by-product of log sawing, as concrete formwork, and then inverts the formwork after pouring to upcycle it as roofing material. This project focused on reducing waste and utilizing unused materials in the construction industry, and by using timber from Fukuoka Prefecture and transferring the unique bark texture of the backboards onto the concrete surface, we proposed a pentagonal pavilion with a rich and expressive appearance.
By creating the formwork themselves, pouring the concrete, and polishing the removed backing boards to finish them as roofing material, they demonstrated a circular process that involved considerable time and effort. When applying this to actual buildings, demonstrating the value and possibilities, such as the best mix of reinforced concrete and wood, will make the project even more compelling.

Presenter 04
Yuri Hamasaki and Daisuke Inoue, "AKARIDO: Wooden joinery that adapts to individual problems"
BeCAT x Maeda Joinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

This project proposed "wooden joinery that can customize views and sunlight" and can be retrofitted to modern, standardized windows. As a project selected for Fukuoka Mitou Grow, a web application was developed, creating a system that allows users to customize and design the optimal wooden joinery for themselves while simulating sun shading and unobstructed views.
We actually installed a prototype in a university research lab, eliminating the glare from the setting sun while creating a comfortable space reminiscent of dappled sunlight. The developed app allows users to download the simulation results as CNC machining data, achieving both self-build autonomy and precision. The professors in the research labs where it was implemented expressed high satisfaction and showed great interest in its potential as a new business model to replace blinds.

Presenter 05
Ryo Sakimoto, "NEST - A human nest born from soil and industrial by-products -"
BeCAT x LibWork

This project involves the development of a 3D printing material (soil geopolymer) using construction and industrial by-products. By solidifying construction waste soil, which accounts for approximately 8000 million cubic meters of production annually in Japan, and FA/slag generated from steelmaking and thermal power generation, with an alkaline solution, a new soil geopolymer that does not use cement was developed. Through trial and error, encountering repeated failures due to the effects of temperature, fluidity, and workability, a stable layering formulation was developed, and columns were 3D printed. A structure called "NEST" was then created by combining it with a tarp.
We explored the possibilities of digital fabrication, which combines cutting-edge technology with the primitive texture of soil to create spaces with a small number of people, and also proposed its potential for future social development.

Presenter 06
Shu Asaoka and Makoto Matsuno, "Offcut Oasis - Transforming the Unused into Comfort: An Oasis-like Architecture Constructed from Scrap Materials"
BeCAT x SANU

This project involves creating an outdoor space in an accommodation facility on Amami Oshima Island by utilizing pre-cut scraps generated during the construction process. The 360mm scraps remaining after cutting 4m lumber at 910mm intervals were stacked like bricks, and a unique bolt-joint system was used to create a circular shell structure with a diameter of approximately 6 meters.
Structural analysis and life cycle cost evaluations were conducted to mitigate Amami's strong sunlight and sea breezes, resulting in a 26% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to using new materials. Its calculated simplicity and beauty were highly praised, and it attracted attention as a model case for social implementation of circulating local materials in the same location.

After each presentation, a judging process took place to determine the winner of the Center Director's Award.
This year's final presentation was of such a high overall level that the judges commented that it was "the most difficult selection process yet." The presentations were incredibly dense and served as a culmination of the projects the students had worked on.

Ultimately, the deciding factors were their strong execution skills in taking over a five-year project, working on-site with the client to complete the building, their unique narrative that could only exist in "that place and with that client," and their ability to balance this with engineering justification based on numerical analysis and component analysis.Yukino Higuchi from "Mataichi Tower"But,The 4th Applied Programming Center Director's AwardWas selected for.

During the BeCAT Applied Program, they stood on the front lines of social implementation projects, engaging in dialogue with diverse stakeholders such as clients and contractors, and thereby acquiring practical skills in research, planning, design, and management.
Furthermore, although each project had an independent theme, I was very impressed by how the students supported each other's work and the physically demanding construction on-site.

At the end of the final review session, the faculty members offered strong encouragement and expectations, urging the graduates to continue to cherish the experience and unique perspectives (BeCAT mindset) they cultivated in this region even after graduation, and to "use them to help forge a new world." The attitude of "thinking for oneself, giving shape to ideas, and questioning society" that they gained here will undoubtedly serve as a reliable guide on their future paths.

BeCAT Application Program Final Review Session

Date and time: February 19, 2026 15:00-18:00
Location: Room A-215, Building 1, East Campus, Ito Campus

Reviewing faculty:
Shohei Shigematsu (BeCAT Center Director)
Kaori Suehiro (BeCAT Vice Director)
Hirokazu Suemitsu (Head of BeCAT Design Lab)
Moriko Kira (Professor in charge of BeCAT)
Yu Momoe (BeCAT teacher)
Bunji Demizu (BeCAT teacher)
Akihito Ozaki (environmental faculty)
Daisuke Sumiyoshi (Environmental Sciences Teacher)
Koichiro Aitani (D-Be instructor)

Participating students:
Daichi Shigeto, Yukino Higuchi, Sota Mori (Cooperation: Lee Yein)　
Yuri Hamasaki, Daisuke Inoue, Ryo Sakimoto, Shu Asaoka, Makoto Matsuno

2025 BeCAT Application Program Schedule

November 6, 2024: Theme Announcement
December 24, 2024: Commencement Review Committee
October 20, 2025: Mid-term presentation
October 7, 2025: Mid-term presentation
Final review session, February 19, 2026