The "Museum of Earth Environmental History, Fujinokuni," which we designed and produced, won the "Winner" award in the "Fair and Exhibition" category of the Communication Design division of the "German Design Award 2018."
The German Design Award is an internationally renowned design award organized by the German Design Council. In 2018, there were over 5,000 entries, of which 758 were from overseas. The "Winner" award that we received is presented to particularly outstanding projects in each category.
The award-winning "Fujinokuni Museum of Global Environmental History" is the first prefectural natural history museum in Shizuoka Prefecture, and was created by renovating the closed Shizuoka Minami High School. Taking advantage of the school environment as a place to learn and think, it was designed as a "museum that opens up thought." It has received KUKAN DESIGN AWARD 2016" in Japan, the Grand Prize in the Museum/Exhibition Space category at the "FX International Interior Design Award 2016," and the iF Design Award at the "iF Design Award 2017."
Going forward, we will continue to keep in mind the perspective of those who will use the space and work to create rich spaces that can contribute to our customers' businesses.
German Design Award 2018 Award Ceremony
From left: Takahiro Ishikawa, Koichi Shinohara, Tsuyoshi Kato, and Tsuneo Hong The University Museum)
(Quelle: Rat für Formgebung. Foto: Lutz Sternstein)
Overview of the "Mt. Fuji Museum of Earth Environmental History"
[Design intent]
This is Shizuoka Prefecture's first natural history museum, and the first museum of global environmental history in Japan, which was built by utilizing an abandoned school. In order to materialize the activity theme "For Shizuoka to be prosperous 100 years from now," the museum was designed with the concept of "a museum that opens up thinking" that makes use of the school environment as a "place to learn and think," aiming to lead students to think for themselves and put their actions into practice. In each classroom, school chairs, desks, blackboards, and other elements are used and reconstructed to express the core of the exhibition theme. In addition, signs symbolizing the exhibition theme are displayed in the hallways, and the integrated design of the exhibition space and graphics is a mechanism to encourage thinking.
[Employer] Shizuoka Prefecture
[Our staff] Planning: Koichi Shinohara, Direction: Tsuyoshi Kato, Design, Layout: Takahiro Ishikawa
Design supervision: Tsuneo Hong, The University Museum
Project Management: Wataru Hirashima
Production, Construction: Akihiro Yamada
About the German Design Award
Founded in 2012, the German Design Award is an international design award organized by the German Design Council, which was established in 1953 with the backing of the German Bundestag. It is unique in that projects that have won design awards from around the world and are recognized as having excellent design are first nominated after being recommended by the German Design Council. The award consists of "Gold," the highest award in each category, "Winner," which is awarded to outstanding projects selected from each category, and "Special Mention," which is selected from each category.
German Design Award official website (German/English)
"Museum of Natural and Environmental History, Shizuoka" official website "Museum of Natural and Environmental History, Shizuoka" introduction page
Related information
Posted on April 3, 2017 Announcement
The "Fujinokuni Museum of Earth Environmental History," a renovated prefectural high school in Shizuoka, has been recognized both in Japan and overseas.
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