Not a Hotel's makers plan Not a Museum in Tokyo's Imperial Hotel Plaza

Tokyo has a habit of knocking buildings down rather than finding new uses for them. Nota, the company behind Not a Hotel, wants to make something of the gap. Its first cultural venture, Not a Museum, will take over the Imperial Hotel Plaza Tokyo, a 2,000-square-metre commercial centre due to be torn down as the Imperial Hotel Tokyo tower is rebuilt. Rising construction costs have pushed the demolition back, which leaves room for a four-year residency.

Nota's Not a City arm is designing and running it with SKWAT, the Tokyo collective behind the SKWAT Kameari Art Centre, led by Keisuke Nakamura of design firm Daikei Mills. They will use floors one to four, and describe the space as an "experimental platform" where art, music, books, cinema and fashion are tried out and keep evolving. SKWAT has form here, having already hosted exhibitions by designer Kwangho Lee and architects Herzog & de Meuron.

This is an announcement, and the doors are due to open in summer 2027, with the run planned until 2031. Not a City is also working on Japa Valley Tokyo, a commercial district in Yurakucho shaped by Pharrell Williams and Nigo. Worth noting for anyone who likes catching a building in its last, most interesting chapter.

Our summary of a story from Dezeen, published 12 October 2026. Read the original