Shigeru Ban’s latest project – the Oita Prefectural Art Museum – has opened in Japan, becoming an artistic piece in its own right to inspire the local community, acting as a “cultural catalyst.”

Located on the southwestern island of Kyushu, the building’s timber-lattice clad structure – in reference to the region’s history of producing fine wood crafts – covers three floors and is designed so the external walls, comprised of fully retractable glass panels, can open and transform the space to a public plaza. Bamboo is used throughout the interior, with the lattice structure also appearing in the gallery’s interior exhibition spaces.

Not only a hub for art enthusiasts, but also the local community, the museum is envisaged as a “cultural catalyst” and offers the indoor-outdoor foyer as its own exhibition space, a café, play area and studios for local and budding artists.

The scheme is intended to be highly environmentally friendly, incorporating sustainable initiatives such as integration of rooftop panels and utilisation of a ground source heating pump.

Now open to the public, the museum has a series of cultural events lined up, including a diverse range of creative disciplines, such as food, art, ballet and poetry.