Shimose Art Museum

Special Exhibition | August 4, 2026

Arranged on a water feature by the sea are eight movable exhibition rooms covered in colorful glass. The unique structure changes its arrangement depending on the exhibits and the season. ©Hiroyuki Hirai
The entrance features a beautiful umbrella-shaped structure made of laminated cypress wood. In addition to the museum's reception area, it also houses a museum shop and a café. ©Hiroyuki Hirai
Guests can also stay in one of the 10 villas, each with a different atmosphere. The "Double Roof House" features a double roof structure with the roof and ceiling separated. ©Hiroyuki Hirai

Colorful cubes with a floating feel, and masterpiecesA villa where you can experience architecture.

This private art museum in Otake City, Hiroshima Prefecture, overlooks Miyajima Island across the sea. Architect Shigeru Ban drew inspiration from the islands of the Seto Inland Sea to create a buoyant, mobile building. Eight colorful, movable exhibition rooms stand on a pool of water. These 10x10m cube-shaped rooms utilize local Hiroshima shipbuilding technology, allowing their arrangement to be changed for each exhibition. The entrance building, special exhibition building, and administration building are positioned parallel to the coastline, connected by walkways and unified by a 180m long, 8.5m high "mirror glass screen." Overnight stays are also possible within the facility, with 10 villas scattered across two areas. Four of these villas are reproductions of villas previously designed by Ban.

Shimose Art Museum
・Architect :Shigeru Ban Architects
・Location : 2-10-50 Harumi, Otake City, Hiroshima Prefecture
・Use : Museum
・Completed : 2023

Text: Yoshinao Yamada