{"id":5529,"date":"2026-04-11T11:20:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T14:20:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/?p=5529"},"modified":"2026-04-14T10:36:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:36:08","slug":"21-_-21-design-sight-toquio-tadao-ando","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/en\/21-_-21-design-sight-toquio-tadao-ando\/","title":{"rendered":"21 _ 21 design sight, Tokyo | Tadao Ando"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my last text, I wrote about Tadao Ando’s (many!) museum projects at Naoshima<\/strong><\/a> Island. Today’s text is about another museum also designed by the architect, the 21_21 design sight.<\/p>\n

Open in 2007, the museum is set close to Hinokicho Park, in Tokyo. As we approached it, we spotted a few sculptures in the surrounding green space. 21_21 design sight<\/em> has a predominantly horizontal form, thus establishing a contrast with the towers on the background landscape.<\/p>\n

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Sculpture by the artist Tony Cragg, near the museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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21_21 design sight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

21_21 Design Sight aims to showcase the most innovative examples of contemporary Japanese design. One of the cultural centre\u2019s founders was the fashion designer Issey Miyake. Miyake\u2019s iconic pleated creations even served as inspiration for the architectural design. The building\u2019s roofs resemble folds, also evoking the Japanese art of origami.<\/p>\n

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Models showcase a “Pleats Please” dress as part of Issey Miyake\u2019s Autumn\/Winter 1995 collection in Paris. (Photo: Patrick Kovarik\/AFP) source: https:\/\/veja.abril.com.br\/cultura\/morre-issey-miyake-estilista-que-pos-o-japao-moderno-no-mapa-da-moda\/<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The main entrance is in the center, between the two volumes on the ground floor. On one side, there is Gallery 3, which hosts temporary exhibitions. On the opposite side are the ticket office, the shop and the access to the other galleries underground.<\/p>\n

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Entrance to Gallery 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The fa\u00e7ade of the other block leading to the underground galleries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the article about Ando’s architecture in Naoshima<\/strong><\/a>, I mentioned that in projects such as the Benesse House Museum or the Chichu museum, the architect sought to integrate the building with the surrounding landscape. 21 _ 21 design sight<\/em>, followed the same principle by placing galleries 1 and 2 underground.<\/p>\n

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View from the top of the staircase as we go down to the underground level<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Access to the lower level is through a magnificent staircase in exposed concrete.<\/p>\n

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Staircase<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Details of the stair railing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Natural light enters the underground spaces through an internal garden. The garden can be seen from inside some of the galleries, allowing visitors to enjoy the sight of nature whilst admiring the design pieces on display. When I visited the museum, the exhibition was about design for disasters.<\/p>\n

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Internal garden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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From the exhibition space, it is possible to see the garden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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At the time of our visit, the exhibition in display was about design for disaster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The exposed raw concrete, characteristic of Ando\u2019s architecture, is present throughout the project. The fa\u00e7ade facing the internal garden consists of a metal frame with fixed glass panels.<\/p>\n

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Hall between the staircase and the internal garden. Wooden benches offer a place to rest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With just 686 square metres of exhibition space, it is a small but beautiful museum. A centre that brings together the best of Japanese design, ranging from architecture to fashion.<\/p>\n

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21_21 design sight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

References:<\/h3>\n

21_21 DESIGN SIGHT (en) | Architecture<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

21_21 Design Sight by Tadao Ando \u2014 Thisispaper<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my last text, I wrote about Tadao Ando’s (many!) museum projects at Naoshima Island. Today’s text is about another museum also designed by the architect, the 21_21 design sight. Open in 2007, the museum is set close to Hinokicho Park, in Tokyo. As we approached it, we spotted a few sculptures in the surrounding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5539,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,4],"tags":[151,192,191,93,186,226,231],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5529"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5529"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5550,"href":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5529\/revisions\/5550"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marianamagcosta.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}