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The Niigata Prefecture is to the east of Japan’s
bigisla
runs fromthe sea to the high central backbone of the
mountains, up to five and a half metres of winter snow
literally submergingbuildings and the even youngtree
magnificent, scented evergreen forests. To allow the p
interpret and investigate the natural world, the Matsu
Natural History Museumhas been set up on the edge
overlookingmountains and meadow.
Takaharu & Yui Tezukahave made abuildingthat wri
east-west through the landscape in abrown, almost sm
steel skin. Entered fromthe south, the snake encloses a
gallery showingnatural and artificial worlds, areceptio
administration, alecture theatre and, as the snake’s hea
fromeast to west, aposh cafeteriacalled ‘the culinary a
A rusted steel observation tower terminates the tail to
climbed by energetic visitors to obtain magnificent view
to the mountains. At key moments in the plan, notably w
changes direction, great transparent panels are inserted
offeringmarvellous views into the forests surroundingt
mullionless transparent expanses are so big that they cabe
called windows; they are almost invisible thresholds
interior and the outside. They reinforce a feelingof heig
enhanced by the strange perspective tricks of the rout
SNOW BOUNDIn the high backbone of Japan, rusted steel super-
strong skin resists winter loads and thermal stresses.
site plan
1, 2Like a deserted industrial site or astrange animal, the
museum snakesthrough itsclearingbetween forestand rice field.
MUSEUMOF NATURAL
HISTORY , MATSUNOYAMA,
NIIGATA, JAPAN
A RCH ITECT
TEZUKA ARCHITECTS
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Architect
TezukaArchitects:
Takaharu Tezuka+Yui Tezuka
Associate architect
Masahiro Ikeda/MIAS
Project team
Takaharu Tezuka, Yui Tezuka, Miyoko Fujita,
Masafumi Harada, Masahiro Ikeda,
RyuyaMaio, Mayumi Miura, Taro Suwa,
Takahiro Nakano, Toshio Nishi,
Hirofumi Ono, Tomohiro Sato,
Makoto Takei, Hiroshi Tomikawa
Mechanical engineer
Eiji Sato, KisakatsuHemmi/ESA ssociates
Landscape
ShunsukeHir ose/Fudo Keisei Ji musho
Photographs
KatsuhisaKi da
5Special collection.6Museum isintended to interpretlocal
ecology.7Snow buildingup.8, 9Cranked plan
causesperspectivalillusionsof explodingand shrinkingspace.
In winter, the temperature difference between inside and
exterior is
often very great. And pressure fromdeep snow can be
extraordinary
(dependingon the nature of the snow, how it fell, and how longit
has
settled and so on). So the ‘thermally stable’ plates of rusted
steel that
form the outer skin are 6mmthick, and are supported on a
skeleton
of steel I beams. Skin and skeleton are designed to
withstandpressures of 1500kg/m2; the equally pressure resistant
acrylic panels
are 75mmthick. All steel elements are thoroughly insulated.
Inside,
there is a skin of plasterboard supported by a lightweight inner
steel
skeleton. This white skin is separated from the main structure
by a
generous cavity that acts as part of the ventilation and
heatingsystem.
Warmair is injected alonggrilles in the polished concrete floors
and
stale air is extracted through slots in the plasterboard at
eaves level.
Heat is radiated to the interior through floor, walls and
ceiling. In
summer, the systemcan be used to circulate coolingfresh air.
In winter, the museumprojects through the snow with its
tapering
tower actingas a landmark and sign of civilization; it groans
with
snow stresses. People look out into the surrounding banks of
snow in
which a surprisingamount of life flour ishes below the surface.
In
summer, the long brown snake slips alongthe contours of its
semi-
wild habitat, which is enhanced and intensified by timber paths
and a
deck by Tadashi Kawamata. Fromsome points of view, the
museum
seems like a picturesque long-abandoned industrial building, a
mine
perhaps, in the middle of the countryside. Other aspects in
different
seasons reveal a cave, a shelter amid the snow, a lighthouse,
a
welcominghut in the forest. And of course always an animal:
snake or
even fox. The museum’s complexity of possible readings and
spatial
events enhance those of the natural world it sets out to
interpret.
VERONICA PEASE
MUSEUMOF NATURAL
HISTORY , MATSUNOYAMA,
NIIGATA, JAPAN
A RCH ITECT
TEZUKA ARCHITECTS
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