08Academic Work

UMAM

LocationUeno Park, Tokyo, Japan

TypeMuseum

Dusk exterior render of UMAM's folded, fluted facade and courtyard entrances

Description

UMAM is sited within Ueno Park, Tokyo, on a plot framed by the Tokyo National Museum, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and Takenodai Square — a dense museum quarter next to Ueno Station.

The building takes the form of a folded, faceted volume wrapped in a fluted vertical-fin façade, organised around a central courtyard. Temporary and permanent exhibition spaces, a museum shop, café and art storage are arranged so visitors move around the courtyard while service and logistics stay separate at the perimeter.

MuseumCultural BuildingCompetition-Style Design

Dusk render of the UMAM entrance facade and triangular glazed openings

Site plan of UMAM within Ueno Park, between the Tokyo National Museum and Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

South west elevations of UMAM showing the folded, fluted facade

First and second floor plans of UMAM, organised around a central courtyard

Physical massing model within the Ueno Park context, alongside perspective sketches

Concept sketches exploring circuit, massing and utopia/dystopia design principles

Design Strategy

Circuit, Solids and Light

The design developed from studies of circuit and sequence — how visitors move between exhibition spaces — alongside a set of massing studies exploring solids, folds and roof geometry derived from the surrounding park's vernacular forms.

Triangular glazed openings cut into the base of the folded roof bring daylight into the entrances and public spaces, while the upper volumes stay closed to protect the galleries.