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).

The challenges of the renovation were to incorporate the latest technology into the old displays and to evolve them into more advanced displays. In order to make the museum easy to use and enjoyable for everyone, the interior of the building was renovated with consideration for universal concept design, and the museum was requested to be made into an open museum.

By using new technology, the existing displays have been further upgraded, including the use of a "half-body, half-bone" specimen of a Zdansky's elephant fossil skeleton and a 3D scanner to reconstruct the living organism, as well as an AR app to recreate a sailing pontoon boat, making it easier for visitors to experience the latest research results.
Furthermore, from the design stage onwards, citizens and experts were invited to evaluate displays, and the interior of the building was designed with universal concept design in mind, including the installation of ramps, tactile displays, mirrors to make displays easier for people using stretchers to see, and explanations written in mirror writing.

displays concept design was unified from the first to third periods, and displays incorporated the latest technology. The introduction displays displays displays displays enjoyable for everyone. Furthermore, the museum was built with universal concept design in mind, making it easy for anyone to use and enjoy.