Kitakami Canal Museum
This museum was embedded into the bank of the Kitagami River with the objective of achieving harmony with the environment. It consists of an attempt to restore the beautiful natural environment along the river with architecture instead of disrupting it. Rather than simply embed a concrete box underground, the design strives to seamlessly integrate display space and pedestrian space by having the above ground promenade along the river continue into the museum.
New communication space for the region was created by providing a plaza and glass enclosed foyer that face the river. This gave birth to new public space for children on the way home from school and senior citizens, bringing the city closer to the riverfront area. Containing no models or panels in the tunnel-shaped underground space, this museum uses computer games that consist of an interface popular with children. This structure represents a clear embodiment of our concept of negating boxes which are cut off from the environment, which we call “Anti Object”.
