086_095ACJapnsAmerMuseum
10/21/04
9:00 PM
Page 86
Japanese American
National Museum, Los Angeles, CA
T
he Japanese American National Museum is the only museum in
the United States dedicated to sharing the experience through
images, documents and oral histories of Americans of Japanese
ancestry. The new Japanese American National Museum pavilion
is designed to emphasize maximum flexibility and adaptability to allow the
museum to grow in an incremental and harmonious fashion. The architecture
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is bold and contemporary, creating a dialogue between the new museum and
the beautifully restored former Buddhist temple that shares the museum site.
A part of the museum complex, artisans previously rebuilt the temple’s
ceremonial entrance, restored oak floors, reglazed and painted walls, stenciled original designs on ceiling panels, and replicated delicate lanterns in
what was once the sanctuary. In the new museum, time-honored materials
such as stone and wood are juxtaposed with perforated stainless steel and
high-performance glazing. In award-winning fashion, the stone, steel and
glass structure bridges East and West esthetic traditions.
Rosso Nero Lithocrete® alternating with Ascona
bands naturally diminishes radial cast-in-place
stairs.
Ann Cutner, Bill Schulz and Trent Noll, EDAW, INC., Landscape Architects