On the northern tip of Shikoku Island surrounded by the Seto Inland Sea is Mt. Yashima, a peninsula with historical significance for Japan. This scenic locale hosts Shikoku Mura, a leading open-air architectural museum dedicated to preserving and showcasing traditional houses from the Shikoku region. Our challenge was to redesign its entrance, transforming it into a new focal point complete with information spaces, ticketing, restrooms, and a shop—all while symbolizing renewal.
The site was a parking lot elevated above the main access road, loosely connecting a shrine to the east, the museum's udon restaurant within a traditional house (Waraya) to the south, and an old Western-style house (Ijinkan) to the west. To the north, leading the visitor deep into the museum grounds is Nagarezaka, a stone road by sculptor Masayuki Nagare.
We realized that our task is not only creating a building, but a cohesive, three-dimensional space that would unite previously disparate elements. Collaborating with landscape planners from EAU, we endeavored to bring back the original sloping topography buried beneath the parking lot. This not only facilitated natural movement toward the museum but also enhanced visual and spatial connections between the udon restaurant and the entrance. Reorienting the Waraya to face the museum further solidified this connection, culminating in the placement of a new visitor center atop the reshaped landform—a gateway to the museum.
The site’s status as a national historic heritage and restrictions on deep foundations shaped our architectural concept. Opting for a simple two-story structure, strong but light, the first floor was reinforced concrete serving as a rigid box. Above it, drawing inspiration from local tradition, we introduced a gabled roof composed of 47 pairs of glulam beams. By gradually changing the angle of each pair, we were able to achieve an organic shape reminiscent of a living creature. It is a complex silhouette, but a simple structure. This distinctive roof earned the building its moniker, "Oyane-san" or "big roof."
The west façade emerged as a pivotal aspect of the design, acting as one of the building's primary faces. Balancing aesthetic appeal with functionality, we provided shade to the semi-outdoor entrance by repurposing 300-year-old columns and beams into thin facade tiles. The material came from a traditional wood house (Endo Residence) owned by the client and damaged by the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. Each piece had a different shape and size, showcasing imperfections and missing corners, which created gaps allowing light to leak through. This resulted in a stained glass-like screen, offering a testament to the sustainability of reimagined old materials.
Oyane-san serves a dual purpose. As visitors enter Shikoku Mura, it acts as an informative gateway. Conversely, for those exiting, it serves as a space for further learning and knowledge consolidation. We attempted to provide a space which curates the experience and allows one to learn about the culture of Shikoku through traditional architecture. In 2022, the building gained recognition as part of the Seto Art Triennale, expanding its reach to a broader audience and amplifying the cultural exposure it offers.
