OMA/Shohei Shigematsu Unveils First Japanese Public Project at Renovated Edo-Tokyo Museum

The Edo-Tokyo Museum has reopened after a multi-year renovation, featuring interventions by OMA under Shohei Shigematsu—the firm's first public project in Japan. The museum, originally designed by Metabolist architect Kiyonori Kikutake and opened in 1993, traces Tokyo's history from the Edo period to today. OMA's approach avoids major physical alterations, instead activating underused spaces with projection, lighting, signage, and scenography to improve accessibility and circulation. At the west entrance, a sequence of gates inspired by traditional torii references Kikutake's earlier concept; on the east side, a circular sign echoes the museum's logo derived from a ukiyo-e portrait. Inside, sixth-floor galleries feature immersive projections onto curved screens and vertical louvers, surrounding architectural models with changing skies and urban scenes. The third-floor outdoor plaza now serves as a public gathering space with moving images projected onto the building's underside and pilotis, concealed within lantern-like structures inspired by Edo-period forms that also function as seating. Modular furniture from locally sourced wood accommodates events. Shigematsu described the approach as 'non-architectural,' using projection and light to communicate the museum's renewed identity. The project is part of a broader renewal of Kikutake's iconic building.