kengo kuma-designed kadokawa culture museum prepares to open in japan

kengo kuma has designed this monolithic museum building in japan, which is set to open to the public later in 2020. located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of central tokyo, the ‘kadokawa culture museum’ is part of a larger development called ‘tokorozawa sakura town’. the site also includes an anime-focused hotel, a book store, and an indoor pavilion for a variety of events. the project even includes its own shrine, also designed by kengo kuma and his team.

image © kadokawa culture museum (also main image)

designed by kengo kuma and associates, the kadokawa culture museum contains a total of five storeys behind its granite façade. the first floor has a small library and a 1,000 square meter (10,764 square feet) gallery for exhibitions relating to a variety of themes including: nature, science, art, natural history, fashion, environment, and society. the second floor hosts a café and a shop, while the third storey is dedicated in its entirety to the presentation of anime.

image © kadokawa culture museum

the fourth floor contains a double-height library that can turn into a ‘bookshelf theater’ thanks to projection mapping. here, eight-meter-tall (26 ft) bookshelves soar towards the ceiling, accommodating around 50,000 books. elsewhere, another library is joined by another exhibtion space. finally, the fifth floor houses another gallery alongside a restaurant.

image © kadokawa culture museum

a soft opening of the museum will take place on august 1, 2020, with the lower two floors hosting an exhibition dedicated to kengo kuma and his design for the institution. other parts of the museum are scheduled to open to the public on november 6, 2020.

image © KKAA/kajima corporation, courtesy of kadokawa culture museum

image © kadokawa culture museum

image © kenshu shintsubo 

image © kenshu shintsubo 

project info:

name: kadokawa culture museum
location: tokorozawa, saitama, japan
architect: kengo kuma and associates
construction: kajima corporation 
status: soft opening august 1, full opening november 6, 2020