Ryo Onishi, NOMURA Co., Ltd.

A project driven by a unified team effort

To celebrate the 30-day countdown to our grand opening, we are launching a special daily series featuring 30 guests with deep ties to Nara Prison: "The Exquisite Prison and the 30."
Day 6 features Ryo Onishi, NOMURA Co., Ltd., who handled the spatial design for the Nara Prison Museum.

Overcoming the Challenges of Designing within an Important Cultural Property

Our team of about ten members from NOMURA Co., Ltd. tackled the spatial design of the Nara Prison Museum. As the coordinator, I led the team in creating a design that aligned with the unique atmosphere of the building. We constantly faced the difficulties of working within an Important Cultural Property—such as minimizing contact points when mounting panels on walls or providing rigorous justifications to obtain permission for essential lighting and air conditioning installations. Securing smooth visitor flow was another significant hurdle. Please look forward to the spatial design achieved by clearing these various challenges, combined with the innovative ideas developed by Art Director Taku Satoh.

A white architectural model of the Nara Prison Museum created by NOMURA Co., Ltd. (Layout differs from actual.)

PROFILE

Ryo Onishi

NOMURA Co., Ltd. nora

NOMURA Co., Ltd. handles the planning, design, and construction of diverse spaces from commercial facilities to museums. Ryo Onishi is a spatial designer who has worked on many museums and served as the exhibition design director for EARTH MART at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

He led the spatial design project for the Nara Prison Museum.

Follow the series on Instagram: “The Exquisite Prison and the 30”