Day 211/365 of Steel – Hoki Museum

A museum that defies gravity.

Hoki Museum by Nikken Sekkei Ltd

Masao Hoki, a Japanese tycoon, had a private collection of realistic art, which kept in a vault built beside his house. Twice a year he used to show it to the public, but since more and more visitors came to see the works of art, he realized he had to build a special museum to house the collection. The Hoki Museum was built in two years and was officially opened on 3 November 2010.

Sharp curved lines that overlap each other, creating an unobstructed 500 meter long gallery that is divided over three floors, two of them below ground level. The most unique feature of this linear museum is the 100 meter long steel-structured gallery that cantilevers 30 meter from the main structure.

Large recessed openings at either edge of the linear galleries and narrow window slit located at the base of the metal box-shaped gallery, not only provide small peaks inside the museum but they also let indirect light deep into the space. The paintings are unconventional hung by magnets, using the character of the museum’s steel structure.

One detail that captures the attention is the external allegory that accompanies the long volumes of concrete. These “gardens” of metallic rods, that evoke a bamboo grove, are reminiscent in an abstract way of the museum’s commitment to its natural environment, and guide the visitor to the entrance of the museum, located laterally in one of the curved volumes.

About the Author:

Bruno Dursin – Managing Director at Believe in Steel. Bruno has more than 30 years of experience in promoting steel & steel solutions. His clients benefit from his extensive network within the building industry.

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