Japan’s very first museum specializing in architectural models has opened to the public in Tokyo. The part-museum, part-gallery institution, called Archi-Depot, displays and preserves the work of prominent Japanese architects and firms, including Shigeru Ban, Hon. FAIA, Kengo Kuma, Hon. FAIA, and Hitoshi Abe. The models comprise both conceptual and built projects designed for sites throughout the globe.
The museum offers 450 square meters (about 4844 square feet) of spaces in the form of white, industrial shelving units to display these models. Preservation is a large part of the museum’s mission. The 52-meter-tall (about 17-foot-tall) space is temperature- and humidity-regulated, and LED lamps prevent fading or heat disfigurement to any of the models.
Archi-Deport plans to organize regular exhibitions and events, starting with a lecture series called “Future of Architectural Culture Designed by Architects–Value and Potential of Scale Models,” that will begin on Sept. 28. Its first session will focus on Zaha Hadid’s Tokyo National Stadium design, and the importance of architectural models. The series is set to run until March of next year, with a total of ten sessions.
Check out some of the work currently being exhibited on the museum’s Instagram account below: