An iconic gateway to an underground world of wonder at Osaka’s National Museum of Art
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The National Museum of Art is an international destination for contemporary art in Japan’s second-largest metropolitan area. The museum was at the heart of a sweeping urban development effort on Nakano Island — now a major cultural and arts district in the city’s historic center. This distinctive museum is entirely subterranean with three levels of underground exhibition galleries and public gathering spaces. A landmark presence in Osaka’s skyline, the museum’s entrance lobby is a larger-than-life stainless steel and glass sculpture inspired by the region’s native bamboo groves. The evocative structure appears to ascend from underground, curving and tilting to form a dynamic glass-enclosed entrance lobby that welcomes visitors from around the world.
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“The forms are an expression of bamboos growing from the ground, reaching for the clouds and swaying in the wind. They represent a very dynamic and exciting view of contemporary art, continually renewing itself.” — Cesar Pelli FAIA, RIBA, JIA
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A creative feat of imagination and engineering
Nestled between the Tosabori River and Dojima River on Nakano Island, the museum’s underground site descends below flood-level, with no bedrock and soil heavily infused with water. The museum’s subterranean design evokes a three-hull submarine, allowing the building to use its substantial weight to sink into the soil and resist the water’s buoyancy. The building’s three-layer shell of concrete and waterproofing membrane reaches a thickness of over ten feet. This innovative waterproof design reduces energy use, increases protection against earthquakes, and enhances security.
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More About the Project
Project Team
- Cesar Pelli, FAIA, RIBA, JIA ↗
- Fred W. Clarke, FAIA, RIBA, JIA ↗
- Turan Duda
- Larry Ng
- Keith Krolak
- Gabriel Bekerman
- Mariel Lieberman
- Michelle LaFoe
- Patricia Garcia
- Paola Aboumrad
Principal Collaborators
- Architect of Record: Jun Mitsui & Associates
- Structural Engineer: Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei
- MEP: Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei
Project Information
- Location: Osaka, Japan
- Client: Ministry of Construction, Kinki Regional Construction Bureau, Ministry of Culture
- Size: 145,200 sq. ft. / 13,500 sq. m.
- Completion: 2004
- Firm Role: Design Architect
Awards
- 2005, AIA Connecticut Design Award
- Principal Project Photography: Jeff Goldberg/ESTO