Suntory Museum of Art, Japan : Architecture Information

Photographs : Mitsumasa Fujitsuka Suntory Museum of Art The entire building is covered with vertical louvers made of white ceramic panels. Choice of the latter has been made out of the imagery of earthenware and porcelain pieces that compose this museum’s collection. Because ceramic panels are rather weak as material, they are usually thickened or cast into concrete for enhanced strength: as a result they tend to be heavy and dull, a far cry from the delicate imagery of a tea bowl. In this project, development of a new method of reinforcing thin ceramic panels with aluminum extrusion has made it possible to use extra-fine edges in the details. Our idea was to realize within a massive urban architecture an imagery so fragile that it may break if not handled wholeheartedly. Suntory Museum of Art - Building Information: Design Period: Apr 2004 - Apr 2006 Construction Period: May 2004 - Jan 2007 Location: Minato-ku, Tokyo Principal use: Museum Site area: 68,891.63 m2 Total floor area: 4,663.23 m2 Stories: 6 stories, 3 basements Design: Kengo Kuma & Associates + Nikken Sekkei Structural engineers: Nikken Sekkei Mechanical engineers: Nikken Sekkei General contractors: Takenaka Corporation + Taisei Corporation