The following renovation project aimed to transform a botanical garden located near Lake Ashi in the Hakone area, into a museum / a multi-purpose space.

© Takumi Ota

Architects: Moriyuki Ochiai Architects

Location: Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

Design Team: Moriyuki Ochiai, Wakana Sujishi, Jillian Lei, Charlotte Jacob, Florentina Carrier, Marina Masuda

Area: 420.0 sqm

Project Year: 2016

Photographs: Takumi Ota

Constructor: Ueno Construction

Special Paint: Osamu Yamaguchi

Client: Hakone city

© Takumi Ota

From the architect. The following renovation project aimed to transform a botanical garden located near Lake Ashi in the Hakone area, into a museum / a multi-purpose space.The site is surrounded by a rich natural environment centering around a lake (Lake Ashi) and a mountain (Mt. Hakone). A large banyan tree, a tree emblematic of the botanical garden, used to stand at the centre of the glass dome serving as the entrance to the existing building. In this environment, precipitation(moisture) from the area would percolate through the site's soil and collect around the roots , thus creating a natural spring filled with pristine waters.
© Takumi Ota

For the purpose of the museum renovation project, we were tasked with designing a space inside this entrance that could accommodate a ki...