Located in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, this project serves as
a central gathering space and Japanese Contemporary Art
museum for the local community and Greater LA.
The project explores the idea of nesting spaces within larger
volumes. Originating from the rotation of a grid, the project’s
overall massing is the result of two volumes that were rotated
and then merged. The intersection of these two volumes
creates a seam towards the west side of the building, allowing
the building to fold. As a result of the building folding away
from its nearby party wall, the front and back of the site are
bridged allowing one to pass between the building without
having to enter it. This lets the project act not just as a
museum but as a thoroughfare, connecting Little Tokyo’s
cultural fabric.
The nesting condition of the project appears most clearly
in the main gallery. In plan, the main gallery sits within the
larger bounding box of the building with service-related
program wrapping around it.
