Toyota City Museum | Shigeru Ban Architects

The Toyota City Museum opened its doors to the public in April this year and offers a dynamic cultural hub, located in the heart of Toyota City, Japan. The museum features a blend of exhibits focused on nature, history and industry in the region, celebrating the city’s heritage and driving future cultural growth in the region.

Designed by Shigeru Ban, the museum is constructed with wooden architecture crafted from locally sourced cedar wood. It is the first museum facility to receive ZEB (Net Zero Energy Building) Ready certification, reflecting its commitment to reducing CO2 emissions during construction. Furthermore, the museum is designed to easily transform and function as a disaster relief centre. In the event of a calamity, a disaster headquarter can be established in the museum, uniting environmental responsibility with resilience.
The roof, inspired by Toyota City emblem, features a skylight that casts an emblem-shaped shadow during summer solstice. The 90-meter-long glazed wooden structure forms the heart of the museum. Known as the “En-nichi” area, it serves as a multifunctional open space designed for exhibitions and community events.

This site, formerly Toyota Higashi High School, was separated from the adjacent Toyota Municipal Museum of Art by a screen of tall evergreen white oak trees. Although initially, the city’s plan for the new museum didn’t allow for a connection between the two, placing it on a disconnected plot, Shigeru Ban saw the opportunity combining the two sites making it one museum zone. By positioning the new museum parallel to the art museum, and echoing its facade and proportions, he makes both museums more accessible to visitors, fostering a synergistic relationship.  
The landscaping, designed by Peter Walker and Partners, now stretches uninterrupted from the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art to the Toyota City Museum, unifies two distinct architectural masterpieces. The art museum, with its serene and minimalist aesthetic, contrasts beautifully with the dynamic, public-facing Toyota City Museum, creating a vibrant cultural destination that bridges over thirty years of architectural history.