Kanazawa, on the north coast of Japan
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan. Sejima + Nishizawa of SANAA, architects. Completed in 2004.
Photo © Junko Kimura/Getty Images The circular 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art has a diameter of 112.5 meters with a transparent wall all around. The museum can be entered at many places and explored from all directions. Visitors can walk completely around the building inside the glass perimeter.
The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art has central exhibition spaces surrounded by areas for municipal services such as a library, a workshop for children, and a conference room. There are four inner courtyards enclosed by glass, and many of the rooms have skylights to provide diffused natural light.
The museum project began in 1999 and was completed in 2004.
