Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art

Special Exhibition | August 4, 2026

This museum was designed as a space that connects with the sea and brings people together. A grand staircase is located on the seaside, where visitors can sit and feel the sea breeze, watch the sunset, and use it as a public square in the city. ©Masaki Tada
The massive canopy that juts out towards the sea gives the building a more dynamic and impressive appearance. The shadows cast by the canopy are also beautiful. ©Nobutada Omote
The elevator hall of the geometrically shaped exhibition room. Various architectural features can be enjoyed even inside the building. ©Nobutada Omote

A seaside landmark built as a symbol of cultural revival.

The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art is located in the eastern new city center (HAT Kobe) of Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. This new city center's master plan was revised after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and it came to include a facility to accommodate urban functions such as housing that suffered extensive damage, as well as a disaster prevention base. Within this new city center, the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art was designed by architect Tadao Ando as a core facility for cultural exchange and a symbol of "cultural recovery." Three rectangular prisms stand on a stone base, with large concrete canopies covering them. In contrast to the clear composition of the exterior, the interior space is extremely complex, and the rich interplay of light and shadow leads to a dramatic architectural experience. Particularly outstanding are the circular terrace connecting the first basement floor to the second floor above ground outdoors, and the double-membrane structure in which the concrete exhibition boxes are further enclosed by glass boxes. From the "sea deck" that opens onto the sea, the calm scenery of Osaka Bay and Kobe Port unfolds.

Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art
・Architect : Tadao Ando
・Location : 1-1-1 Wakihama Kaigandori, Chuo-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture
・Use : Museum
・Completed : 2001

Text: Yoshinao Yamada