Steel Hut, Museum Of Architecture TIMA, Omishima, Japan – Toyo Ito
Globally-recognized japanese architect Toyo Ito (Pritzker 2013) has completed the ‘Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture’ (TIMA) on the island of Omishima, making it the first museum in Japan dedicated to the work of an individual architect. Situated on a site overlooking the seto inland sea, the holistic form of the structure is sculpted to mimic the deck of a ship. Read as a three-dimensionally graphic object, the multi-level museum features a skin constructed out of steel sheeting. The faceted faces tilted at a variety of angles lend the exterior a dynamic yet matte aesthetic that establishes a strong and modern identity on the lush site. Contrasting yet playful, the museum demonstrates a clear structural organization that translates itself into a bold carving of interior spaces. An adjacent structure featuring a series of arches accommodates a workshop and library as a freestanding pavilion. the structural skeleton of the spans are left exposed to highlight the details of the roof. The project consists of two buildings named “Steel Hut” for the exhibition of Ito’s works and “Silver Hut”, a reenactment of his own house for workshop activities and events. “Steel Hut” is situated on the ridge part of a hilly site, “Silver Hut” on the valley part of the land.
Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture, Imabari – TIMA
Abitare Magazine, October 2011: ITO’S THREE KAMIS
