Oita Prefectural Art Museum 2015

Client : Oita Prefecture
Design : Shigeru Ban Architects / studio on site

This art museum designed for flexibility is equipped to accommodate all kinds of events, including exhibitions, collection exhibits, and galleries featuring the work of prefectural residents. Most importantly, since the first-floor exhibition room has movable walls that can be adapted to any layout – from precisely partitioned, enclosed exhibits to open-plan exhibits integrating the atrium into the layout – the lighting has the same degree of flexibility.
The 10-meter high atrium faces the boulevard and features an open plan enclosed in an 80-meter long, six-meter high glass horizontal folding door, creating a space where citizens can feel the presence of art as they unwind, even at night. The exterior is a wood latticework structure in the image of traditional bamboo art covered with glass. At night, the exterior is illuminated in gentle light that also provides light for the street.

*Photo #1, 2 credit : Masayuki Hirai