Library Buildings around the World

scale collective residences, and business facilities, a brand new gateway image of Tokyo is being formed here. As an important
project in this process, the theme of this project is to "create a futuristic and urban campus". The site is facing the canal. The
campus court is located on the axis connecting to the community street of the area. There is also an event stage in the gate-shaped
void space in Research Building. While reducing the effect of wind, the unique style of the "gate" is a campus icon that leaves a deep
impression to students. The characteristic of the campus planning clearcut functional arrangement made by piling up various
functions in the vertical direction. As a result, there are communication building, classroom building, experiment building and
research. On the eighth floor of the research building, there is a library, which is designed as a university utility center. On the way
to this place, there are, successively, the multipurpose space, business department, classroom, and roof garden etc. They are
connected by a void space with artworks and escalators, forming an integrated space. Between the students and teaching staffs, this
motivates the face-to-face communication that can creates a space full of life and vibrancy.
Hiroshima University of Economics, Media Information Center, Hiroshima – Japan 2003 – 2004
7.557 m²
This is a new building that gathers PC rooms, which used to be scattered in the campus. The building also houses a studio used for
broadcasting high-definition television for the new curriculum of Media Business.The site is located on a south-east facing slope,
from which people could see the city view of Hiroshima. To create better view from the building, we designed a tier section on the
south side and a broad terraces on the east side. In order to avoid direct sunlight and create gentle lighting in the PC rooms, we
planned the light court in the center; and we also designed corridors around the classrooms to create more space and a better
view.For exterior, we used the same tiles as the existing buildings, while structured a facade with iron, glass and concrete to express
the modern style. In this design, we take the horizontal line as a basic tone and the glass stair boxes as a symbol. (Nikken)
The International Library of Children´s Literature, Tokyo – Japan 1998 – 2002
6.671 m²
This facility is a research center and a library for global children’s book collection and exhibition. The former building is Imperial
Library, whose first phase was completed in 1906 and second phase was completed in 1929. The construction plan is terminated
afterwards. This project is to preserve and reuse the building and to add some new functions.The project objective is to utilize the
original structure and space as much as possible, in the mean time renovate the building into a comfortable and safe one with up-todate
IT functions. While keeping the original space, we increase the quake-resistance with retrofit engineering method. To control
the expansion work in minimum, we build underground utility room, corridor/swing core, and gate etc. We add a simple and
transparent structure as curtain wall, which harmonize well with the original facade. (Nikken)
Hoshi University “Shinsei kan”, Toykyo – Japan 1999 – 2001
16.968 m²
This is the new building for Hoshi University, with functions of lecture halls, laboratories, library and welfare facilities.The exterior
extends the old building’s lemon image, and further improves the modern style to suit the scientific research activities going inside
the building. The building is transparent from entrance to atrium. To suit the various situations that laboratories might have in the
future, the building has much flexibility with long span, free access piping pit, and facility balcony, and also high safety with
seismically isolated structural system. Inside the central atrium, there are gentle large stairs leading to lecture rooms, which also
becomes the common area for students. (Nikken)
Kakegawa City Library – Japan 1999 – 2001
4.617 m²
This is the central library of Kakegawa city, which has proclaimed its life-learning plan as the national pioneer. The library serves as
the local center of culture and information, located at the city’s history and culture symbol zone with Kakegawa Park and Nihon
Hotoku Sha on the side. To coordinate with the surrounding historical and cultural environment, while not showing magisterial
arrogance, we design the over-ground part as a low-rise flat building, with ridge roof made of Japanese tiles. Visitors could see
through the building from outside. The open reading zone is on the first floor. All sections surround the service core center like a
donut shape.The underground meeting sections integrate with each other though the open area. Inside uses large wood structure and
wooden decoration materials to create bright and warm reading space with natural lighting. (Nikken)
Ibaraki Prefectural Library, Mito – Japan 2000
8.700 m²
For the construction plan, the old Assembly Capital of Ibaraki Prefecture completely constructed in 1969, accompanied with keeping
the prefecture’s main building, was set up as symbol of the prefecture, and the plan was devised for reconstructing it into the library,
with preserving its appearance. In the old site, all of the constructed structures, except for main building and this Assembly Capital,
were dismantled, and they were newly consolidated into the prefecture’s park. Based on the concept that old Assembly Capital
should be constructed again into new library, with still ever leaving the “memory of its old space”, some structures such as its facade,
Assembly Hall, entrance hall, and others were designed to maximally keep their existing characteristics. For the Assembly Hall case,
it was changed into the reading room combining with audiovisual hall by installing large-scale electric screen, and for the concretecast
well of the entrance hall, the harmony without a sense of incompatibility between already existing spaces and new technologies
was considered to use aluminum materials probably to fix acoustic materials, with a viewpoint of increasing the acoustic
performances. In addition, barrier-free construction was realized to remove the possibility that it seemed to be much different from
old Assembly Capital. (Nikken)
Guangzhou Library – China 2006 - 2011
Co-designed by Guangzhou Design Institute
Zhujiang New Town District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China
Owner Bureau of Culture of Guangzhou Municipality, Site area 21.067 sq.m., Building area 7.828 sq.m., Total floor area
98,000 sq.m., Structure RC / SRC / S, Floors 10 aboveground, 2 basement, Building height 50m, Parking capacity 364 cars
Guangzhou New Library is the final facility to be completed in a new cultural zone planned by the Guangzhou City
Government. Approximately 4 million books will be stored and displayed on the open shelves in the library. Designed to
complement the surrounding buildings, the structure’s exterior is reminiscent of a pile of books, characterized by numerous
layers of thick stones that also shield those inside from the strong sunlight of the Guangzhou region. Yet this sunlight is itself
an asset that the building takes advantage of, with its two large atrium spaces and two structural light slits positioned for
optimal levels of daylight and overall unity. (Nikken)
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