Shiga Prefectural Lake Biwa Museum Phase 3 Renewal

Lake Biwa Museum opened in 1996 with the mission of building a better relationship of coexistence between the lake and humans together with local people. Since 2015, it has undergone renovation work over three phases of six years.
This third period displays see the renewal of displays Rooms A and B. displays Room A is entitled "4 Million Years of the Lake and Us - The Ever-Changing Lake Biwa" and will introduce the changes in Lake Biwa, its nature, and creatures 4 million years ago, along with their relationship to the current environment. Each corner will convey the story of Lake Biwa and its creatures, which have continued to change dramatically, and the charm of the Lake Biwa field, through the numerous fossils and geological specimens that have been collected since the museum opened, as well as reconstructed dioramas that allow visitors to experience the environment of the past.
displays Room B is titled "20,000 Years of the Lake and Us - A History of Nature and Life," and introduces how humans have interacted with nature in forests, waterside areas, lakes, and villages. Using the dragon, a symbol of nature from the human perspective, as a navigator, the exhibition follows environmental history with Lake Biwa at its center, and conveys how it is connected to our current lives (displays Room C).

[Social issues/customer issues/requests]
The challenges facing the renewal included incorporating the latest technology into the old displays and evolving them into more advanced displays. The client also requested that the interior be renovated with consideration for universal concept design, in order to create a museum that is easy for everyone to use and enjoy, and that it be an open museum.

[Solution]
Using new technology, the existing displays have been upgraded to include a "half-body, half-bone" specimen of a Zdansky elephant's fossil skeleton and a 3D scanner that recreated a living organism, as well as a recreation of a sailing pontoon boat using an AR app, making the latest research results easier to understand and experience for visitors.
Furthermore, from the design stage onwards, citizens and experts were invited to evaluate displays, and the interior was designed with universal concept design in mind, including the installation of ramps, displays that can be touched, mirrors so that displays can be easily seen by people using stretchers, and explanations written in mirror writing.

[Customer feedback]
displays concept design was unified from the first to the third period, and displays incorporated the latest technology. The introduction of experience-based displays, such as tactile and olfactory displays displays made displays enjoyable for everyone. In addition, the museum was built with universal concept design in mind, making it easy for everyone to use and enjoy.

<Our project members>
[Sales/Project Management] Hiroko Yamase, Haruya Miwa
[Direction] Tadashi Yuasa, Koki Mizuno
[design, layout] Tadashi Yuasa, Koki Mizuno, Reiko Kagawa
[Sign and graphic concept design] Tadashi Yuasa, Koki Mizuno, Yuki Higashihara
[Production and construction] Hayato Ichimada, Yoshito Inoue, Yuki Higashihara / Nomura Techno Co., Ltd.: Masaru Oishi