Gifu Museum of Contemporary Art, Shinoda Toko Museum
A landscape that connects two eras
Nabeya Bi-tech Company (NBK), a long-established company engaged in the foundry business in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, also has an art museum on the vast grounds of its factory. Based on the philosophy that "good products come from a good environment," and with the wish of the company's president, Okamoto Daiji, to create a place that is not only a place to work but also a place to relax for employees who spend a large part of their day there, the company is creating an environment called "Seki Koen" (Seki Factory Park) with the aim of creating a factory that is like being in a park.
We can empathize with those feelings. Our company has previously worked on projects such as the Community Plaza (featured in LANDSCAPE DESIGN 2021 No. 139), environmental improvements to the reservoir, forest floor transplants on the site, and greening with local seeds and seedlings.
Daichi Okamoto was also a collector of Toko Shinoda, an artist who explores new abstract expression using ink painting. Toko's works, which deconstructed characters and painted abstract works with ink, exceed 1,000 pieces. This project was launched when the Gifu Contemporary Art Foundation took over her studio in the spring of 2021, when she passed away.
By establishing a new art museum on the premises, the existing art museum was renamed "Daichikan," and the new museum, which will house and exhibit Toko's works as well as a fully restored studio, was named "Tokokan."
It has been 18 years since Seki Koen was established here. The company building and factory were originally constructed, but the two facilities were built by different eras and designers. The landscape design was required to redevelop the existing parking lot, the main entrance for employees and visitors, and the flow of people connecting these two facilities.
Between the world of the work and the
The approach was designed with the feeling of slowly returning viewers who confront Toko's work from the world of the work to their daily lives. Since the exterior of this building is made of natural stone with a glossy finish like thick ink and stainless steel panels that look like silver foil, we considered the building to be a metaphor for ink, and pursued a soft, textured feel like Japanese paper for the pavement underfoot. We had them create paving blocks that glitter in the sunlight like Japanese paper with foil mixed in with recycled mirrors.
On the approach to Tokokan, the asphalt pavement was polished to reveal the different colors of the aggregate contained in the asphalt, creating different appearances in each location. The garden path leading to Daichikan was composed of plants mainly from the surrounding vegetation, as if Tokokan were embraced by the mountains. As the east side of the building is immediately on the slope of the mountain, mesh cages were used to retain the soil, preventing soil erosion from the slope and stabilizing the plantings on the forest floor. Chert stone from nearby Kakamigahara was used for the asphalt and crushed stone, and local materials were used as much as possible. The slope from the main entrance to the building, about 80m, is lined with katsura trees, forming a new symbolic axis.
At the top of the hill, a symbolic tree about 7m tall serves as an eye-catcher to welcome visitors.
Art Wall Marks Time
There is a distinctive gate at the main entrance. Made from weather-resistant steel, this gate has stood here alongside NBK through many eras.
By mixing the materials that have been used up until now on the approach path connecting the existing Daichikan and the new Tokokan, the same materials were used to ensure that the atmosphere of the new space blends in with the site.
An art wall made of two types of metal layered on top of each other is placed on the route connecting the Daichikan and Tokokan buildings, symbolizing the two facilities and inviting visitors to each one.
The curvature and material of the art wall were inspired by the brush strokes of Toko's works, and a gradational spray paint was used on the metal, evoking the image of a "blurred" look that is created when a brush soaked in ink is used. Line lighting is attached to the two art walls, softly lighting the way home when it gets dark in the evening.
Just as a forest with a rich ecosystem cannot be created overnight, I hope that Toko's works will continue to watch over the lives of the people of Mino in the future.
Completed | 2024.03
Scale | Site area: 167,300m2
Address | Seki City, Gifu Prefecture
Use | Museum
Contents |Landscape design and supervision
SfG (Ohno and Takagi )
Basic Design
Detailed design
On-site supervision
Owner | NBK
Construction | Oshima Landscape Construction
Photo by ToLoLo studio