Recommended Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre, Shizuoka
Designed by Shigeru Ban, this building is the inverted image of Mt. Fuji, containing exhibition space inside. (photo1)
Overview
With the use of a massive panorama screen, this center allows its visitors to experience what it’s like to climb Mt. Fuji. It boasts many ways to express the multitude of values that this famous mountain possesses. The outer part of the building represents a Mt. Fuji turned upside down so that the actual shape can be seen in the reflection in the water below. Inside of the building, a five-story ascending spiral, 193m in length, gradually gives visitors a panoramic view of Mt. Fuji from different elevations. By stopping by the many exhibitions on display along the spiral, they can also learn in depth about the nature, culture and history, as well as just how valuable this multi-faceted land mass is to the Japanese and the world.
Issues/Themes
Praised by the world over as having undeniable cultural value, Mt. Fuji, or “Fuji-san” as the locals call it, was listed as an official (cultural) world heritage in 2013. The theme for this project was to build a facility that conserved this cultural value and could hand it down to future generations.
Space Solution/Realization
We repeatedly conducted workshops with Shizuoka Prefecture, the project client, the architects and the exhibition director, all the while having thorough discussions over what would be the best method to express the value of Mt. Fuji. After long consideration, we chose to give visitors several hands-on experiences along an incline for its simplicity and impact. By leaving out explanations in text and using 4K theater projection in hand with themed displays, we were able to create an exhibition for the senses. By implementing colorful videos for a visual presentation, the facility is able to grasp the attention and understanding of overseas visitors and children. We achieved a universal design by creating visual performances without the use of narration and subtitles and by offering five languages for our display graphics and visual information retrieval system.
- Client
- Shizuoka Prefecture
- Services Provided
- Display Planning, Design, Layout, Production, Construction
- Our Team
- Direction : TAKAHASHI Hisaya
Project Management : HIRASHIMA Wataru
Display Planning : HASHIMOTO Yukiko, ITO Makoto
Design, Layout : DOI Hirofumi, FUKUDA Takashi, NAKAI Hiroshi
Production & Construction : SAWAHATA Kazuaki, YAMADA Akihiro, NAKAJIMA Kazumi, SATO Takuto
Video Direction : SHIODA Tatsuro(Tansei INSTITUTE Co., Ltd.)
- Location
- Shizuoka, Japan
- Open
- December, 2017
- Website
- https://mtfuji-whc.jp/en/
- Space Types
- Cultural Spaces
- Services Provided
- Design, Layout Production, Construction Research, Planning
The slope inside the inverted Fuji. Time-lapse videos implementing still photos of an ever-changing Mt. Fuji are displayed on the walls of this slope as visitors ascend towards the top. (photo2)
A time-lapse video showing the view from atop Mt. Fuji. It uses eight projectors to provide one image on a wide screen, making visitors feel like they have really reached the summit. (photo3)
This corner, “The Nurturing Mountain”, exhibits the ecosystem surrounding Mt. Fuji. Created by Japanese plaster craftsman, Syuhei Hasado, this display shows the strata and surrounding topography of the beautiful mountain. (photo4)
Photo: Hiroyuki Hirai(photo1,2), Forward Stroke inc.(photo3,4)
The shared information and details of the project is accurate as of the date they were posted. There may have been unannounced changes at a later date.
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