Opening on June 18, Japan’s Archi-Depot will be the country’s first museum dedicated entirely to architecture models. The 4,840-square-foot space in the Shinagawa district of Tokyo will display scale representations of buildings designed by the likes of Kengo Kuma, Jun Aoki, Shigeru Ban and others.
Paying the 1,000-Yen admission fee gets you access to open shelves lined with plenty of stylish models showcasing everything from miniature museums to daring residential design. The entirety of the current collection is focussed on Japanese architects working both at home and abroad. Based on the photos, the museum has a minimalist aesthetic making it look more akin to visible storage than a thematic exhibition space.
Rather than have wordy signs explaining each building’s information and design, a QR code assigned to each model can pull up explanatory texts and photos of the completed structures.
The museum is the brainchild of Terrada Warehouse, a luxury storage company accustomed to working with fine wines and paintings.
Japan’s First Museum Dedicated to Miniature Architecture Models [Spoon & Tamago]
This Book-Filled Tokyo Museum Was Built for the Bike-Obsessed [Curbed]