Tadao Ando
Chikatsu-Asuka Historical Museum
Osaka, Japanarchitet name
Photo: arcspace
Chikatsu-Asuka, an area in the southern part of Osaka Prefecture, has one of the best collections of tumuli (kofun) in Japan. There are over 200 mounds including four imperial tombs, the site of the tomb of Prince Shotoku and the tomb of Ono-no-Imoko. It was an important place at the start of Japanese history.
“The building is intended as a center for exhibiting and studying the culture of the Age of Tumuli, and my proposal was to create an environmental museum that incorporates not only the Tumuli scattered around the site but the natural environment of the burial mounds.”
Tadao Ando
Sketch courtesy Tadao Ando
Photo: arcspace
The building has been conceived as a hill from which one can see the entire excavated area. The 60 meters wide and 12 meters long stone-paved roof is shaped like an enormous stairway which may be transformed into a stage, outdoor lecture hall or simply a wide viewing platform.
Photo: arcspace
Inside, museum visitors have the experience of plunging into a tomb to experience the past.
Photo: arcspace
Chikatsu-Asuka Historical Museum
Architect: Tadao Ando Architect & Associates
Completed: 1994
Site area 14,352 square meters
Floor area 3,407.84 square meters
Structure: Steel frame & reinforced concrete
Drawing courtesy Tadao Ando
Axonometric
Drawing courtesy Tadao Ando
Entry Level Plan
Drawing courtesy Tadao Ando
Section
May 12, 2003