Terunobu Fujimori’s playful and imaginative approach to architecture is vividly displayed in his design of the Nemunoki Museum of Art. This distinctive building, with its humpbacked form, was envisioned by Fujimori to resemble “a mammoth.” The museum, which caters to children’s art, showcases his ability to blend whimsical concepts with functional design, creating a space that is both educational and visually captivating. Fujimori’s work often challenges traditional architectural norms, making his projects not only unique but also deeply engaging and thought-provoking.
Nemunoki Children’s Museum of Art Technical Information
- Architects: Terunobu Fujimori
- Location: Kakegawa in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
- Typology: Cultural Architecture / Museum
- Project Year: 2006
- Photographs: © Adam Friedberg © Hikari Mimura
A building should not resemble anyone else’s buildings, past or present, or any style that has developed since the Bronze Age.
– Terunobu Fujimori
Nemunoki Children’s Museum of Art Photographs
Nemunoki Children’s Museum of Art Description
The Nemunoki Museum of Art is situated in Kakegawa in Shizuoka Prefecture. It was designed in 1967 to house works of art by physically disabled children from an institute formed by the Japanese singer and actress Mariko Miyagi. Jutting out of the hillside, Fujimori compares its design to a “hairy mammoth.”
A line of living grass along the ridge connects the hand-rolled copper roof to the hill. The route through the museum is choreographed to take the visitor from the reception into a landscaped garden before re-entering the museum through a small door at the back.
This route is designed to offer an interlude for purification and contemplation from everyday life before viewing the works of art. The simple white interior is punctuated with a lattice-like screen above the main gallery that is reminiscent of the mammoth’s spine.
Nemunoki Children’s Museum of Art Gallery
About Terunobu Fujimori
Terunobu Fujimori, a leading historian of modern Japanese architecture, began designing his own buildings in 1990. Since then, he has created several original buildings unbound by previous forms or styles, offering continual surprises to the world of architecture.
The exhibition, “Architecture of Terunobu Fujimori and ROJO: Unknown Japanese Architecture and Cities,” was presented at the Venice Biennale: 10th International Architecture Exhibition 2006. It was acclaimed for offering a glimpse of an unknown aspect of contemporary Japanese architecture, which enjoys a high international reputation.
