Stone Museum

Tochigi, Japan

Photo © Mitsumasa Fujitsuka

Architects: Kengo Kuma & Associates

Location: Tochigi, Japan
Year: 2000

The Stone Museum reuses 80-year-old stone buildings that were utilized to store rice as display space for arts and crafts made from stone. In addition to stone being the theme for the items displayed in the museum, we expanded upon the new and emerging potential of stone as a material in the architecture. In addition to using the interior area as display space, the pathways between the three stone warehouses were designed as semi-outdoor space to create a free-flowing sequence between the interior and exterior areas.

Ashino stone, the same type of stone used to build the warehouses, was utilized for the new details that were added to join the areas together. Two types of design features were incorporated to create a unique lighting effect on the inside, consisting of horizontal stone louvers and porous masonry with approximately one third of the pieces removed.