Shiga Prefectural Lake Biwa Museum Phase 3 Renewal

The Lake Biwa Museum opened in 1996 with the mission of building a better relationship of coexistence between the lake and people together with the local community, and underwent renovation work over three phases of six years starting in 2015.
This third phase of the renovations involves the renewal of displays Rooms A and B. displays displays A, titled "4 Million Years of Lake Biwa and Us: Lake Biwa in Constant Change," introduces the changes in Lake Biwa, its nature, and its living creatures 4 million years ago, along with their relationship to the current environment. In each section, through numerous fossils and geological specimens collected since the museum's opening, and reconstructed dioramas that allow visitors to experience past environments, the museum conveys the story of Lake Biwa and its living creatures, which have been constantly changing, as well as the charm of the Lake Biwa field.
displays Room B, titled "20,000 Years of the Lake and Us: A History of Nature and Life," explores how humans have interacted with nature, using "forests," "watersides," "lakes," and "villages" as its backdrop. Using the "dragon," a symbol of nature from a human perspective, as a guide, the exhibition traces the environmental history centered around Lake Biwa, explaining how it connects to our lives today (displays Room C).

The challenges of the renovation included incorporating the latest technology into the existing displays to create a more advanced and improved displays, as well as designing the museum with universal concept design in mind to make it accessible and enjoyable for everyone, thereby realizing the creation of an open and accessible museum.

By using new technologies to create a "half-body, half-skeleton" specimen of a Zdansky elephant skeletal fossil and a 3D scanner to reconstruct the living body, and by recreating a Maruko boat sailing with its sails up using an AR app, we have upgraded existing displays to make the latest research findings easier to understand and experience.
Furthermore, from the design stage, we held displays evaluations inviting citizens and experts, and incorporated universal design considerations into the museum's concept design, including the installation of ramps, tactile displays, mirrors to make displays easier for stretcher users to see, and explanatory text written in mirror writing.

displays displays concept design was unified from the first to the third phase, incorporating the latest technology. The introduction of interactive displays, such as touch and scent displays displays made displays enjoyable for everyone. Furthermore, the museum was designed with universal concept design in mind, making it accessible and enjoyable for all.