The Future of Work I: Awaji-Shima is a studio report from the Spring 2025 semester at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design based on a studio of the same name, taught by George L. Legendre. It inaugurates a multi-year design research program into the future of work made possible by the generous support of the Nambu Family Design Studio Fund. 

At stake are the broad societal issues of employment, education, and work-life balance, as they relate to architecture, urbanism, and the environment. The inaugural semester of the program focuses on the spaces of work and is sited on Awaji, an island located in Seto Inland Sea in central Japan. In the past few years, Awaji has benefited from generous outside investment in affordable housing, primary schooling, small-holding agriculture, and hospitality, catering to visitors and professionals in search of a better life beyond the city. 

The projects presented in this report explore ways in which innovative factory-made spaces could support the island’s regeneration though a unique combination of hospitality, agriculture, skills training and social enterprise.

Read this report in full on issuu .