The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, is located near the Heian Shrine in the heart of this historic city. Accordingly, the development of an appropriate, modern 20th Century design vocabulary - deferent to the sensitive context - served as the most important design theme for this project. In consideration of Kyoto’s understated beauty, the Museum’s exterior design was kept relatively modest, regulated by a 1.5-meter facade grid module encapsulating horizontality and verticality, past and present, mass and transparency, and the mix of Japanese and non-Japanese influences evident in Kyoto. The Museum interior accommodates a public café and gift shop on the ground level, temporary and permanent exhibition spaces on the upper levels, extensive art storage, and an auditorium / event space.