
'ken iwata mother and child museum' by toyo ito, ehime, japan
image © daici ano
accompanying the steel hut and silver hut that comprise the toyo ito museum of architecture, toyo ito's third structure, the 'ken iwata mother and
child museum' in nearby imabari city completes the set of architectural treasures that contain the same soul yet tell three very different stories.
the roofless circular concrete structure forms an orthogonal C in section, open to the internal green lawn dotted with ken iwata's 'mother and child'
sculpture series. the horizontal portal to the sky grabs a piece of the japanese landscape on display while visitors are separated from their immediate
surroundings in an infinitely elliptical journey around the works of art.

a micro-landscape of sculptures
image © daici ano

sculptures on cylindrical concrete pedestals of various heights
image © iwan baan

circular covered walkway around the central grass area
image © iwan baan

entrance
image © iwan baan

bird's eye view
image © iwan baan

site view
image © iwan baan
project info:
location: imabari, ehime, japan
period: 2009.9 – 2011.5
structure: reinforced concrete
scale: 1 story
site area: 1,912m2
building area: 197.29m2
total floor area: 197.29m2