Hiyoshi Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex

2023/06/30

Upon entering the central corridor, the "Passage of Knowledge," from the entrance, natural light streams in from the glass windows of the atrium ceiling. On the second floor, mothers who seem to be on their way back from the daycare center chat on benches around the octagonal pyramid, with their strollers parked beside them, while children run around laughing. In a classroom on the third floor, a discussion in English is underway about the social implementation of cybernetic avatar technology.

The Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex was built in 2008 along Tsunashima Kaido on the west side of the Hiyoshi Campus as part of the Keio Juku 150th Anniversary Commemorative Projects. Based on the project's core concept of "An open-minded and dynamic university with the dual focus of 'Independence' and 'Coexistence (Kyosei),'" it was named "Kyoseikan" to serve as a new venue for challenges, rooted in the local community and developing activities that are widely open to society.

Not only the Graduate School of System Design and Management and the Graduate School of Media Design (KMD), which were newly established in 2008 and celebrate their 15th anniversary this year, but also the Graduate School of Business Administration (including the business school), which relocated from Hiyoshi-honcho, are based on the third to sixth floors of the Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex. All three are independent graduate schools without affiliated undergraduate faculties. They have a high ratio of working professionals and international students, and conduct education and research to create technologies and systems that will have an impact on society and shape the future. To cultivate human resources who can lead society and be active both locally and globally, collaborative projects between the graduate schools' labs, the local community, and corporations are also actively pursued.

Tenants such as a daycare center, a clinic, sports facilities, and restaurants were also attracted to the Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex. Although there have been some changes since its opening, ten tenants currently occupy the building. In addition, multipurpose classrooms and the Fujiwara Hiroshi Hall, which can accommodate 500 people, are available for rent for external community activities. During the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games (held in 2021), the British national team stayed at the research and accommodation facilities on the seventh floor and held their pre-Games training camp using various sports facilities on the Hiyoshi Campus, including the pool inside the Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex. Taking advantage of its prime location in front of Hiyoshi Station, it also served as a mass vaccination site for the City of Yokohama's COVID-19 vaccination program.

When the building was completed, the word *kyosei* (coexistence/collaboration) was not widely known. However, with the establishment of the Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion on campus in April 2018, the word has become more established, along with the concept of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The minutes of the monthly Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex operational meetings show that attention is paid not only to security and facility management but also to the sales status of each tenant. Creating an environment that maintains DEI requires constant effort and meticulous follow-up. Incidentally, the official English name for Kyoseikan is "The Collaboration Complex." What kind of initiatives will emerge from the Kyoseikan Collaboration Complex, a name imbued with various meanings and expectations? I look forward to seeing what the future holds.

(Tamika Suzuki, Manager, Graduate School Section, Hiyoshi Office of Student Services)