One Minute Architecture: SANAA Sumida Hokusai Museum

A visit to Sanaa's Hokusai Museum in Tokyo. I think the building itself is quite beautiful. The brushed metal clad facade and triangular cut wedges are proportionately well balanced, but that's where it all stops.
SANAA, Kazuyo Sejima and Rye Nishizawa received the Pritzker prize in 2010 for being "deceptively simple" and for their architecture which "stands out in direct contrast with the bombastic".
Ironically great care has been taken by the Sumida-ward who runs the museum to destroy the simplicity of the spaces. Signs and cones are placed everywhere in order to attend people of the sloped walls, windows and staircases, corners.
The programme is rather odd with a toilet right next to the entrance reception. The reception desk, umbrella stands, and other signage are a mere afterthought and don't seem to have been part of the original design. Furthermore, circulation with the main exhibition hall being on the 4th floor and accessible by only two small lifts seems to be problematic as well.
It does not look like that Sumida can count on a Bilbao-effect with this building. I'm also curious to know how much Sanaa was involved in the discussion of the programme.

[@trollala_555]

fair observation. just because its been designed by a famous architect doesnt mean it should be admired on a pedestal. perhaps this is an example of trying to wow people with facades but lacks the concept and emotional aspect in the interior.

[@how2what4]

Okay I'm hooked on your videos, I'm subscribing, we need a version of this for Denmark, I would say a building like this here would have more attention on the interior details. I wonder if in this project, if they ran out of funds and couldn't hire an interior designer or could it might be cultural. In Japan is Interior Architecture valued?

[@davidmayhew4818]

It's sooo elegant! Love the triangular passages. Thank GOD it doesn't look like it's neighborhood!! I see this kind of stupidity all the time concerning architecture. And people just genufleck to the critics bias without making an effort to come up to the building. Either the architecture is too much or to little. The architect can't win. So fuck the critic. Looks pretty cool to me. But I'm not a critic.

[@Dev1nci]

I see what you’re saying but I also like it though. It’s uncompromising, I think that’s why all the signage seems to be an after-thought because the architect didn’t want signage on his pure building. Edit: Okay I like the alien facade. It’s intriguing. The rest seems quite boring. But I’ll have to see more to finally say it’s actually boring.

[@OneMinuteArchitecture]

It's one of those intriguing situations in Japan which, after more than twenty years having worked in Japan, both annoy me as well as inspire me; in what way does the architect influence the programme? The building is uncompromising indeed, I think that once Japanese architects get to a certain level, their status allows them to do whatever they want to do. But once in operation all this is taken away from them and you end up with all these stupid cones and warning signs throughout the building.

[@Dev1nci]

​@@OneMinuteArchitecture Totally agree, that's a huge challenge in architecture I think- how to cut against the grain in some respects but be accomodating to real-world situations in other ways. I think something that can make a difference is the respect that the user has for the architect. If there is enough respect then if something is left out, it will stay that way instead of getting added in a compromising way. But then it would have to be purposeful and not an oversight. Do you think that the over-sight may be a result of fees or a lack of co-ordination? Sometimes the tenant changes or signage moves out of the scope of work for the architect. You would know more than I XD

[@OneMinuteArchitecture]

@@Dev1nci Frank Gehry once said: "after people hire an architect, why do they then tell him what to do?". In my experience it is a bit of both, as only good architecture can come from a good client and unfortunately not all architects are good architects. You brought up a very interesting point, maybe a topic for a future One Minute Architecture video!

[@Dev1nci]

@@OneMinuteArchitecture :D I'm subbed, interested to hear what you think and how to get around it.

[@CatherineGrenfell]

Thank you, great channel! Just stumbled across this via Dezeen email list. As a visiting tourist, I was so keen to visit the Sumida Hokusai Museum a few years ago it sure was confusing to enter (must have before they had the man to show you a way in). The other building I was very surprised about was the Edo-Tokyo Museum. I can't find a video on that? The escalator to get in fascinated me and how big the space was when you got in. Would love to know more about how this was designed.

[@OneMinuteArchitecture]

Thanks for the comment. I have not visited the Edo-Tokyo museum, but the architect Kiyonori Kikutake was part of the Metabolism group, which I personally find quite interesting. The escalator does look impressive, I'll have to check it out, thanks again.

[@gopineapples]

A scathing day out

[@ralphou]

But are the artworks exhibited worth our time? do we need less than half an hour to view the exhibits?

[@YZOBEL5000]

What are your favorite architectural creations? Please do like a top 5 video :)

[@OneMinuteArchitecture]

Thanks, that is actually a great idea.

[@conservativemike3768]

The structure appears uninspired. Did resource constraints and consensus decisions compromise the final result?

[@OneMinuteArchitecture]

The project is the result of an open competition. In my opinion there are few factors that will give the impression of a lack of inspiration, I have no clue if I'm right though. The programme: Was it the architects who suggested to locate the exhibitions on the higher floors? The reception with the toilets next to it feels also rather weird from a programmatic point of view. And then there is the typical Japanese overkill of placing cones and fences after the completion of a building to avoid anyone accidentally bumping into a wall or low ceiling.

[@MelvinLim]

it feels so sterile unlike the captivating artworks of the great master Hokusai. Definitely there's a missed connection somewhere.

[@meltingice5697]

I feel like they used Critical Regionalism as their design approach.