Osaka Maritime Museum
Encyclopedia
The is a maritime museum
in Osaka
, Japan
. It was opened by the Mayor of Osaka City on 14 July 2000 having started on site in March 1998. Designed by architect Paul Andreu
with engineering design by Arup
and Tohata. the museum was built on reclaimed land in the Bay of Osaka at a cost of 12.8bn yen, with a replica Edo period trading ship, the Naniwa Maru
as its centrepiece. The requirement of the dome to resist seismic, wave, and wind loads and its successful completion, led to the building winning a Structural Special Award in 2002 from the Institution of Structural Engineers
, UK.
Andreu based the dome on a Buckminster Fuller
geodesic dome
. Arup were responsible for the design of the structural, mechanical, electrical and seismic engineering solutions for the dome and internal structure holding the exhibits within, whilst Japanese firm Tohata were responsible for the engineering of the entrance building, the submerged tunnel and the dome substructure.
With a site consisting of 25 m of reclaimed land on top of 15 m of alluvial clay, piles
were designed to be 40 m long. To prevent the building sinking into the ground if an earthquake
caused liquefaction
of the ground, the top 10 m of the piles were designed as precast concrete
piles with steel casings. In order to prevent the building from rising up due to buoyancy
the piles were cast with a ground floor slab 1.6 – 2.5 m thick to provide sufficient weight.
The semicircular landside building contains a ticket office, the entrance hall and administrative offices, with storage and plant space in two basement levels below. From the entrance hall visitors descend to the submerged tunnel in glazed risers. The tunnel is made from reinforced concrete
and is 15 m wide and 60 m long, but the shortest distance from the dome to shore is 15 m
The final design was for a 20,000 m2 building, consisting of a 5,000 m2 landside entry building, the 60m submerged tunnel of 1,000 m2, opening into the dome, which encased four levels totalling 14,000 m2.
There was a short 25 month construction programme for the museum and the dome was the most critical part of the building process. It was discovered that the dome could be built offsite whilst the internal section was built onsite, avioding any potential construction clash and ensuring the project would be completed on time. This also meant the dome structure was isolated from the internal structure, simplifying the earthquake resistance. The Harima works of Kawasaki Heavy Industries
were chosen to build the dome, partly because they were only 33 km away on the other side of Osaka Bay. On 3 November 1998 a 4,100 ton floating crane lifted the 1,200 ton dome and lifting rig onto a barge. On 5 November the barge made the 6 hour journey to the museum site and after a day of checks the floating crane again lifted the dome, manoeuvred towards the completed substructure and lowered the dome into place.
Osaka is a port and grew rapidly during the Edo period
, becoming known as Japan's kitchen. The aim of the museum is to show how the sea, ships and harbour were used to the benefit of Osaka and the general development of maritime culture around the world.
The central exhibit is the replica Naniwa Maru, a 17th century trade ship or higaki kaisen. The ship was trialled in Osaka Bay before being enclosed in the museum when the dome was brought to site. On the four floors surrounding and beneath the Naniwa Maru there are a range of artifacts and exhibits tracking the development of sea trade around Osaka and internationally. These include Ukiyo-e
prints, replica figureheads and a display of shipwright's
tools.
Two video theaters are in the basement. "The Sea Adventure Pavilion" offers a fictional story with a young Japanese seafarer, encountering pirates, and raging waves, while the seats swing in response to the view on screen. "Theater of the Sea" takes viewers through Venice
with a 3-D film
and simulated wind and smells. Finally a yacht
simulator, gives visitors the opportunity to try their hand at virtual sailing.
The is a maritime museum
in Osaka
, Japan
. It was opened by the Mayor of Osaka City on 14 July 2000 having started on site in March 1998. Designed by architect Paul Andreu
with engineering design by Arup
and Tohata. the museum was built on reclaimed land in the Bay of Osaka at a cost of 12.8bn yen, with a replica Edo period trading ship, the Naniwa Maru
as its centrepiece. The requirement of the dome to resist seismic, wave, and wind loads and its successful completion, led to the building winning a Structural Special Award in 2002 from the Institution of Structural Engineers
, UK.
Andreu based the dome on a Buckminster Fuller
geodesic dome
. Arup were responsible for the design of the structural, mechanical, electrical and seismic engineering solutions for the dome and internal structure holding the exhibits within, whilst Japanese firm Tohata were responsible for the engineering of the entrance building, the submerged tunnel and the dome substructure.
With a site consisting of 25 m of reclaimed land on top of 15 m of alluvial clay, piles
were designed to be 40 m long. To prevent the building sinking into the ground if an earthquake
caused liquefaction
of the ground, the top 10 m of the piles were designed as precast concrete
piles with steel casings. In order to prevent the building from rising up due to buoyancy
the piles were cast with a ground floor slab 1.6 – 2.5 m thick to provide sufficient weight.
The semicircular landside building contains a ticket office, the entrance hall and administrative offices, with storage and plant space in two basement levels below. From the entrance hall visitors descend to the submerged tunnel in glazed risers. The tunnel is made from reinforced concrete
and is 15 m wide and 60 m long, but the shortest distance from the dome to shore is 15 m
The final design was for a 20,000 m2 building, consisting of a 5,000 m2 landside entry building, the 60m submerged tunnel of 1,000 m2, opening into the dome, which encased four levels totalling 14,000 m2.
There was a short 25 month construction programme for the museum and the dome was the most critical part of the building process. It was discovered that the dome could be built offsite whilst the internal section was built onsite, avioding any potential construction clash and ensuring the project would be completed on time. This also meant the dome structure was isolated from the internal structure, simplifying the earthquake resistance. The Harima works of Kawasaki Heavy Industries
were chosen to build the dome, partly because they were only 33 km away on the other side of Osaka Bay. On 3 November 1998 a 4,100 ton floating crane lifted the 1,200 ton dome and lifting rig onto a barge. On 5 November the barge made the 6 hour journey to the museum site and after a day of checks the floating crane again lifted the dome, manoeuvred towards the completed substructure and lowered the dome into place.
Osaka is a port and grew rapidly during the Edo period
, becoming known as Japan's kitchen. The aim of the museum is to show how the sea, ships and harbour were used to the benefit of Osaka and the general development of maritime culture around the world.
The central exhibit is the replica Naniwa Maru, a 17th century trade ship or higaki kaisen. The ship was trialled in Osaka Bay before being enclosed in the museum when the dome was brought to site. On the four floors surrounding and beneath the Naniwa Maru there are a range of artifacts and exhibits tracking the development of sea trade around Osaka and internationally. These include Ukiyo-e
prints, replica figureheads and a display of shipwright's
tools.
Two video theaters are in the basement. "The Sea Adventure Pavilion" offers a fictional story with a young Japanese seafarer, encountering pirates, and raging waves, while the seats swing in response to the view on screen. "Theater of the Sea" takes viewers through Venice
with a 3-D film
and simulated wind and smells. Finally a yacht
simulator, gives visitors the opportunity to try their hand at virtual sailing.
The is a maritime museum
in Osaka
, Japan
. It was opened by the Mayor of Osaka City on 14 July 2000 having started on site in March 1998. Designed by architect Paul Andreu
with engineering design by Arup
and Tohata. the museum was built on reclaimed land in the Bay of Osaka at a cost of 12.8bn yen, with a replica Edo period trading ship, the Naniwa Maru
as its centrepiece. The requirement of the dome to resist seismic, wave, and wind loads and its successful completion, led to the building winning a Structural Special Award in 2002 from the Institution of Structural Engineers
, UK.
Andreu based the dome on a Buckminster Fuller
geodesic dome
. Arup were responsible for the design of the structural, mechanical, electrical and seismic engineering solutions for the dome and internal structure holding the exhibits within, whilst Japanese firm Tohata were responsible for the engineering of the entrance building, the submerged tunnel and the dome substructure.
With a site consisting of 25 m of reclaimed land on top of 15 m of alluvial clay, piles
were designed to be 40 m long. To prevent the building sinking into the ground if an earthquake
caused liquefaction
of the ground, the top 10 m of the piles were designed as precast concrete
piles with steel casings. In order to prevent the building from rising up due to buoyancy
the piles were cast with a ground floor slab 1.6 – 2.5 m thick to provide sufficient weight.
The semicircular landside building contains a ticket office, the entrance hall and administrative offices, with storage and plant space in two basement levels below. From the entrance hall visitors descend to the submerged tunnel in glazed risers. The tunnel is made from reinforced concrete
and is 15 m wide and 60 m long, but the shortest distance from the dome to shore is 15 m
The final design was for a 20,000 m2 building, consisting of a 5,000 m2 landside entry building, the 60m submerged tunnel of 1,000 m2, opening into the dome, which encased four levels totalling 14,000 m2.
There was a short 25 month construction programme for the museum and the dome was the most critical part of the building process. It was discovered that the dome could be built offsite whilst the internal section was built onsite, avioding any potential construction clash and ensuring the project would be completed on time. This also meant the dome structure was isolated from the internal structure, simplifying the earthquake resistance. The Harima works of Kawasaki Heavy Industries
were chosen to build the dome, partly because they were only 33 km away on the other side of Osaka Bay. On 3 November 1998 a 4,100 ton floating crane lifted the 1,200 ton dome and lifting rig onto a barge. On 5 November the barge made the 6 hour journey to the museum site and after a day of checks the floating crane again lifted the dome, manoeuvred towards the completed substructure and lowered the dome into place.
Osaka is a port and grew rapidly during the Edo period
, becoming known as Japan's kitchen. The aim of the museum is to show how the sea, ships and harbour were used to the benefit of Osaka and the general development of maritime culture around the world.
The central exhibit is the replica Naniwa Maru, a 17th century trade ship or higaki kaisen. The ship was trialled in Osaka Bay before being enclosed in the museum when the dome was brought to site. On the four floors surrounding and beneath the Naniwa Maru there are a range of artifacts and exhibits tracking the development of sea trade around Osaka and internationally. These include Ukiyo-e
prints, replica figureheads and a display of shipwright's
tools.
Two video theaters are in the basement. "The Sea Adventure Pavilion" offers a fictional story with a young Japanese seafarer, encountering pirates, and raging waves, while the seats swing in response to the view on screen. "Theater of the Sea" takes viewers through Venice
with a 3-D film
and simulated wind and smells. Finally a yacht
simulator, gives visitors the opportunity to try their hand at virtual sailing.
Maritime museum
A maritime museum is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water...
in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was opened by the Mayor of Osaka City on 14 July 2000 having started on site in March 1998. Designed by architect Paul Andreu
Paul Andreu
Paul Andreu is a renowned French architect. He is best known for having planned numerous airports worldwide, notably Ninoy Aquino International Airport , Soekarno-Hatta International Airport , Shanghai Pudong International Airport Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dubai International Airport,...
with engineering design by Arup
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
and Tohata. the museum was built on reclaimed land in the Bay of Osaka at a cost of 12.8bn yen, with a replica Edo period trading ship, the Naniwa Maru
Naniwa Maru
The is a replica ship of a typical Japanese trader from the Edo period known as a higaki kaisen. It was built as the main exhibit for the Osaka Maritime Museum, with academic interest which also encouraged sea based testing until it was transferred into the newly built museum.-History:During the...
as its centrepiece. The requirement of the dome to resist seismic, wave, and wind loads and its successful completion, led to the building winning a Structural Special Award in 2002 from the Institution of Structural Engineers
Institution of Structural Engineers
The Institution of Structural Engineers is a professional body for structural engineering based in the United Kingdom. It has 27,000 members in 105 countries. The Institution provides professional accreditation for structural engineers...
, UK.
Site and Brief
Osaka City wished to develop a museum that reflected the maritime history of the port city. They had planned for it to be placed on reclaimed land in Osaka Bay, where a number of office schemes and a convention centre had been built, to create a landmark building to draw people from the city centre. Upon approaching Paul Andreu he provided preliminary sketches showing a dome, and suggested that the museum should be placed in the water itself and so a 300,000 m² basin was to be excavated from the reclaimed land with a spherical dome seeming to float in the bay, accessed by a submerged tunnel.Design
Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
geodesic dome
Geodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
. Arup were responsible for the design of the structural, mechanical, electrical and seismic engineering solutions for the dome and internal structure holding the exhibits within, whilst Japanese firm Tohata were responsible for the engineering of the entrance building, the submerged tunnel and the dome substructure.
With a site consisting of 25 m of reclaimed land on top of 15 m of alluvial clay, piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
were designed to be 40 m long. To prevent the building sinking into the ground if an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
caused liquefaction
Liquefaction
Liquefaction may refer to:* Liquefaction, the general process of becoming liquid* Soil liquefaction, the process by which sediments become suspended* Liquefaction of gases in physics, chemistry, and thermal engineering* Liquefactive necrosis in pathology...
of the ground, the top 10 m of the piles were designed as precast concrete
Precast concrete
By producing precast concrete in a controlled environment , the precast concrete is afforded the opportunity to properly cure and be closely monitored by plant employees. Utilizing a Precast Concrete system offers many potential advantages over site casting of concrete...
piles with steel casings. In order to prevent the building from rising up due to buoyancy
Buoyancy
In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...
the piles were cast with a ground floor slab 1.6 – 2.5 m thick to provide sufficient weight.
The semicircular landside building contains a ticket office, the entrance hall and administrative offices, with storage and plant space in two basement levels below. From the entrance hall visitors descend to the submerged tunnel in glazed risers. The tunnel is made from reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
and is 15 m wide and 60 m long, but the shortest distance from the dome to shore is 15 m
The final design was for a 20,000 m2 building, consisting of a 5,000 m2 landside entry building, the 60m submerged tunnel of 1,000 m2, opening into the dome, which encased four levels totalling 14,000 m2.
Construction
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
were chosen to build the dome, partly because they were only 33 km away on the other side of Osaka Bay. On 3 November 1998 a 4,100 ton floating crane lifted the 1,200 ton dome and lifting rig onto a barge. On 5 November the barge made the 6 hour journey to the museum site and after a day of checks the floating crane again lifted the dome, manoeuvred towards the completed substructure and lowered the dome into place.
Museum
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, becoming known as Japan's kitchen. The aim of the museum is to show how the sea, ships and harbour were used to the benefit of Osaka and the general development of maritime culture around the world.
The central exhibit is the replica Naniwa Maru, a 17th century trade ship or higaki kaisen. The ship was trialled in Osaka Bay before being enclosed in the museum when the dome was brought to site. On the four floors surrounding and beneath the Naniwa Maru there are a range of artifacts and exhibits tracking the development of sea trade around Osaka and internationally. These include Ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e
' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...
prints, replica figureheads and a display of shipwright's
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
tools.
Two video theaters are in the basement. "The Sea Adventure Pavilion" offers a fictional story with a young Japanese seafarer, encountering pirates, and raging waves, while the seats swing in response to the view on screen. "Theater of the Sea" takes viewers through Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
with a 3-D film
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
and simulated wind and smells. Finally a yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
simulator, gives visitors the opportunity to try their hand at virtual sailing.
The is a maritime museum
Maritime museum
A maritime museum is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water...
in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was opened by the Mayor of Osaka City on 14 July 2000 having started on site in March 1998. Designed by architect Paul Andreu
Paul Andreu
Paul Andreu is a renowned French architect. He is best known for having planned numerous airports worldwide, notably Ninoy Aquino International Airport , Soekarno-Hatta International Airport , Shanghai Pudong International Airport Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dubai International Airport,...
with engineering design by Arup
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
and Tohata. the museum was built on reclaimed land in the Bay of Osaka at a cost of 12.8bn yen, with a replica Edo period trading ship, the Naniwa Maru
Naniwa Maru
The is a replica ship of a typical Japanese trader from the Edo period known as a higaki kaisen. It was built as the main exhibit for the Osaka Maritime Museum, with academic interest which also encouraged sea based testing until it was transferred into the newly built museum.-History:During the...
as its centrepiece. The requirement of the dome to resist seismic, wave, and wind loads and its successful completion, led to the building winning a Structural Special Award in 2002 from the Institution of Structural Engineers
Institution of Structural Engineers
The Institution of Structural Engineers is a professional body for structural engineering based in the United Kingdom. It has 27,000 members in 105 countries. The Institution provides professional accreditation for structural engineers...
, UK.
Site and Brief
Osaka City wished to develop a museum that reflected the maritime history of the port city. They had planned for it to be placed on reclaimed land in Osaka Bay, where a number of office schemes and a convention centre had been built, to create a landmark building to draw people from the city centre. Upon approaching Paul Andreu he provided preliminary sketches showing a dome, and suggested that the museum should be placed in the water itself and so a 300,000 m² basin was to be excavated from the reclaimed land with a spherical dome seeming to float in the bay, accessed by a submerged tunnel.Design
Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
geodesic dome
Geodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
. Arup were responsible for the design of the structural, mechanical, electrical and seismic engineering solutions for the dome and internal structure holding the exhibits within, whilst Japanese firm Tohata were responsible for the engineering of the entrance building, the submerged tunnel and the dome substructure.
With a site consisting of 25 m of reclaimed land on top of 15 m of alluvial clay, piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
were designed to be 40 m long. To prevent the building sinking into the ground if an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
caused liquefaction
Liquefaction
Liquefaction may refer to:* Liquefaction, the general process of becoming liquid* Soil liquefaction, the process by which sediments become suspended* Liquefaction of gases in physics, chemistry, and thermal engineering* Liquefactive necrosis in pathology...
of the ground, the top 10 m of the piles were designed as precast concrete
Precast concrete
By producing precast concrete in a controlled environment , the precast concrete is afforded the opportunity to properly cure and be closely monitored by plant employees. Utilizing a Precast Concrete system offers many potential advantages over site casting of concrete...
piles with steel casings. In order to prevent the building from rising up due to buoyancy
Buoyancy
In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...
the piles were cast with a ground floor slab 1.6 – 2.5 m thick to provide sufficient weight.
The semicircular landside building contains a ticket office, the entrance hall and administrative offices, with storage and plant space in two basement levels below. From the entrance hall visitors descend to the submerged tunnel in glazed risers. The tunnel is made from reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
and is 15 m wide and 60 m long, but the shortest distance from the dome to shore is 15 m
The final design was for a 20,000 m2 building, consisting of a 5,000 m2 landside entry building, the 60m submerged tunnel of 1,000 m2, opening into the dome, which encased four levels totalling 14,000 m2.
Construction
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
were chosen to build the dome, partly because they were only 33 km away on the other side of Osaka Bay. On 3 November 1998 a 4,100 ton floating crane lifted the 1,200 ton dome and lifting rig onto a barge. On 5 November the barge made the 6 hour journey to the museum site and after a day of checks the floating crane again lifted the dome, manoeuvred towards the completed substructure and lowered the dome into place.
Museum
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, becoming known as Japan's kitchen. The aim of the museum is to show how the sea, ships and harbour were used to the benefit of Osaka and the general development of maritime culture around the world.
The central exhibit is the replica Naniwa Maru, a 17th century trade ship or higaki kaisen. The ship was trialled in Osaka Bay before being enclosed in the museum when the dome was brought to site. On the four floors surrounding and beneath the Naniwa Maru there are a range of artifacts and exhibits tracking the development of sea trade around Osaka and internationally. These include Ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e
' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...
prints, replica figureheads and a display of shipwright's
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
tools.
Two video theaters are in the basement. "The Sea Adventure Pavilion" offers a fictional story with a young Japanese seafarer, encountering pirates, and raging waves, while the seats swing in response to the view on screen. "Theater of the Sea" takes viewers through Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
with a 3-D film
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
and simulated wind and smells. Finally a yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
simulator, gives visitors the opportunity to try their hand at virtual sailing.
The is a maritime museum
Maritime museum
A maritime museum is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water...
in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It was opened by the Mayor of Osaka City on 14 July 2000 having started on site in March 1998. Designed by architect Paul Andreu
Paul Andreu
Paul Andreu is a renowned French architect. He is best known for having planned numerous airports worldwide, notably Ninoy Aquino International Airport , Soekarno-Hatta International Airport , Shanghai Pudong International Airport Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dubai International Airport,...
with engineering design by Arup
Arup
Arup is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the...
and Tohata. the museum was built on reclaimed land in the Bay of Osaka at a cost of 12.8bn yen, with a replica Edo period trading ship, the Naniwa Maru
Naniwa Maru
The is a replica ship of a typical Japanese trader from the Edo period known as a higaki kaisen. It was built as the main exhibit for the Osaka Maritime Museum, with academic interest which also encouraged sea based testing until it was transferred into the newly built museum.-History:During the...
as its centrepiece. The requirement of the dome to resist seismic, wave, and wind loads and its successful completion, led to the building winning a Structural Special Award in 2002 from the Institution of Structural Engineers
Institution of Structural Engineers
The Institution of Structural Engineers is a professional body for structural engineering based in the United Kingdom. It has 27,000 members in 105 countries. The Institution provides professional accreditation for structural engineers...
, UK.
Site and Brief
Osaka City wished to develop a museum that reflected the maritime history of the port city. They had planned for it to be placed on reclaimed land in Osaka Bay, where a number of office schemes and a convention centre had been built, to create a landmark building to draw people from the city centre. Upon approaching Paul Andreu he provided preliminary sketches showing a dome, and suggested that the museum should be placed in the water itself and so a 300,000 m² basin was to be excavated from the reclaimed land with a spherical dome seeming to float in the bay, accessed by a submerged tunnel.Design
Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
geodesic dome
Geodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
. Arup were responsible for the design of the structural, mechanical, electrical and seismic engineering solutions for the dome and internal structure holding the exhibits within, whilst Japanese firm Tohata were responsible for the engineering of the entrance building, the submerged tunnel and the dome substructure.
With a site consisting of 25 m of reclaimed land on top of 15 m of alluvial clay, piles
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
were designed to be 40 m long. To prevent the building sinking into the ground if an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
caused liquefaction
Liquefaction
Liquefaction may refer to:* Liquefaction, the general process of becoming liquid* Soil liquefaction, the process by which sediments become suspended* Liquefaction of gases in physics, chemistry, and thermal engineering* Liquefactive necrosis in pathology...
of the ground, the top 10 m of the piles were designed as precast concrete
Precast concrete
By producing precast concrete in a controlled environment , the precast concrete is afforded the opportunity to properly cure and be closely monitored by plant employees. Utilizing a Precast Concrete system offers many potential advantages over site casting of concrete...
piles with steel casings. In order to prevent the building from rising up due to buoyancy
Buoyancy
In physics, buoyancy is a force exerted by a fluid that opposes an object's weight. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus a column of fluid, or an object submerged in the fluid, experiences greater pressure at the bottom of the...
the piles were cast with a ground floor slab 1.6 – 2.5 m thick to provide sufficient weight.
The semicircular landside building contains a ticket office, the entrance hall and administrative offices, with storage and plant space in two basement levels below. From the entrance hall visitors descend to the submerged tunnel in glazed risers. The tunnel is made from reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
and is 15 m wide and 60 m long, but the shortest distance from the dome to shore is 15 m
The final design was for a 20,000 m2 building, consisting of a 5,000 m2 landside entry building, the 60m submerged tunnel of 1,000 m2, opening into the dome, which encased four levels totalling 14,000 m2.
Construction
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
were chosen to build the dome, partly because they were only 33 km away on the other side of Osaka Bay. On 3 November 1998 a 4,100 ton floating crane lifted the 1,200 ton dome and lifting rig onto a barge. On 5 November the barge made the 6 hour journey to the museum site and after a day of checks the floating crane again lifted the dome, manoeuvred towards the completed substructure and lowered the dome into place.
Museum
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, becoming known as Japan's kitchen. The aim of the museum is to show how the sea, ships and harbour were used to the benefit of Osaka and the general development of maritime culture around the world.
The central exhibit is the replica Naniwa Maru, a 17th century trade ship or higaki kaisen. The ship was trialled in Osaka Bay before being enclosed in the museum when the dome was brought to site. On the four floors surrounding and beneath the Naniwa Maru there are a range of artifacts and exhibits tracking the development of sea trade around Osaka and internationally. These include Ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e
' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...
prints, replica figureheads and a display of shipwright's
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
tools.
Two video theaters are in the basement. "The Sea Adventure Pavilion" offers a fictional story with a young Japanese seafarer, encountering pirates, and raging waves, while the seats swing in response to the view on screen. "Theater of the Sea" takes viewers through Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
with a 3-D film
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
and simulated wind and smells. Finally a yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
simulator, gives visitors the opportunity to try their hand at virtual sailing.