In 2006, the Estonian Ministry of Culture announced the result of the international design competition for the new Estonian national museum exhibiting a collection on the history of Estonia. The winner chosen from 108 entrants was Dorell.Ghotmeh.Tane/Architects (DGT.), a group formed for this competition by young architects working at different firms. The site was at a former Soviet military base. DGT proposed an architecture that continues the history engraved on the ground by connecting the building with an existing runway.

There were arguments for and against the winning scheme concerning the government's decision to commission the young and inexperienced architects for the major national project and the fact that their proposed architecture evoked memories of the negative heritage from the Soviet occupation period, but Estonia strongly supported their proposal entitled "Memory Field." Tane's continuing theme of "Memory of Place" –– his pursuit of architecture based on memories of a place –– began at this time.

Tane, then 26 years old, became the focus of attention overnight and co-established an architectural firm with his partners. While engaging himself in the design development of the Estonian National Museum, he worked on a wide range of projects including scenography design and exhibition design for museums and international fairs, in addition to architectural design of new and renovated buildings. During this period, he collaborated with Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery on the exhibition design of ARAI Junichi | Tradition and Creation.

While becoming known in the field of architecture, Tane gained wider recognition in 2012 when DGT. was selected as one of eleven finalists in the New National Stadium Japan International Design Competition which later stirred up various debates. Their proposal of Kofun Stadium attracted many people with the clear and powerful design idea and form, and Tane's bold approach to the project earned him wide recognition.

A House for Oiso, the first house designed by Tane, was completed in 2014, followed by Todoroki House in Valley completed in 2018. In both projects, he continued to explore the theme of "Memory of Place" and developed architectural forms based on the idea. Tane's architecture aims to connect memories of a place to the future by observing specific characteristics of a place and excavating, classifying, examining, and reconstructing embedded memories from the ancient times to the present. This method can be referred to as an archaeological approach. Tane established Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects (ATTA) after the completion of the Estonian National Museum and their further development is expected.

Exhibition Sections

Excavating Memory of Place

The exhibition starts from Gallery 1, where Tane's research method conducted in all projects using images and texts is introduced by exhibits installed throughout the 6-meter high space. They put vast numbers of images associated with a place on the wall, repeatedly sorting them out and undertake research in order to organize their thoughts. Tane calls this method "Archeological Research." Visitors are invited to experience this exhibition as an experimental space where the very concept of "Memory" is explored through this method of research.

Spatial Installation Presenting Tane's Seven Representative Works

The entire space of Gallery 2 is transformed into a spatial installation introducing Tane's seven representative works including the Estonian National Museum, Kofun Stadium, and currently ongoing projects. Each project is introduced using large-sized architectural scale models from 1:10 to 1:100, and a 10-meter long model of the Estonian National Museum invites viewers to experience the architecture through the physical senses. Each project is introduced by exhibits including various materials, objects, and study models accumulated through the process of Archaeological Research, from which viewers can see the trajectory of their thoughts in the design process. The presentation model submitted to the international design competition for the Estonian National Museum is exhibited.

Architecture Expressed through Movies

Artist Hikaru Fujii, who sympathizes with Tane's idea that "architecture creates memories of the future", made movies for this exhibition. Fujii is an artist known for his work focusing on how history and memories are generated and reexamining various issues in contemporary society. He visited and filmed Tane's built works as well as his atelier in Paris. The movie of the Estonian National Museum is projected on two large-sized screens. The movies document how each architecture that passes on memories of a place and people living there are creating the future while retaining new memories.

Timeline of All Projects

Tane's all achievements including more than a hundred works in his short but intense career since 2004 are introduced in the timeline displayed along the 30-meter long corridor.