Located along cat street in a residential area in the back streets of Tokyo‘s omotesando avenue, Nobuo Araki/The Archetype‘s The Mass project comprises a small museum complex split in three exhibition spaces, each with its own entrance and approach.
The Mass is the first phase of the ongoing “Harajuku Expanding Landscape Project” consisting of four phases and four sites. The site is located along Cat Street in a residential area in the back streets of Omotesando.
The aim of the project is to architecturally plan an expanding landscape that fills the gaps of the city. Within one structure, architects created a small museum with three separate exhibition spaces. Each of the three spaces has an entrance and its own unique approach. The versatility of using the spaces according to the size of the exhibition was also considered.
The wayfinding of the structure embodies ‘city gaps.’ There are several ‘blank spaces’ located throughout the site in order to consciously assimilate with the neighboring streets and buildings. Throughout the process, architects viewed the city as having an exterior with a considered back-end, and a considered back-end that reflects onto the aesthetic of the exterior.
