165 MUSASHINO ART UNIVERSITY LIBRARY sou fujimoto architects


fujimoto was asked to reconsider options that would offer linear as well as meandering routes


long section through grand stair and basement/book store


Opposite_


Suspended bridges hang above the entrance space, leading to additional study bays


Architect


Sou Fujimoto Architects, Tokyo, Japan project team Sou Fujimoto, Koji Aoki, Naganobu Matsumura, Shintaro Homma, Tomoko Kosami, Takahiro Hata, Yoshihiro Nakazono, Masaki Iwata


structural engineers Jun Sato Structural Engineers, Kankyo Engineering graphic design Taku Satoh Design Office


opportunity for more accidental forms of wandering via a series of radial axes that fan out from the central control point on the first floor. With large axial apertures, the opportunity then arose for Fujimoto to collaborate with renowned graphic designer Taku Satoh on the creation of a series of large-scale installations that bring clear orientation. The spiral plan also helped Fujimoto resolve the entrance sequence, as it uncoils at the north-east corner, where a freestanding punctured wall (recalling N House) creates a series of interstitial spaces that welcome visitors approaching along the campus’ cherry-tree-lined avenues. A subsidiary entrance will also


be provided when the adjoining gallery fit-out is complete, linking across the crescent-shaped void that embeds itself somewhat uncomfortably into the library’s south-east corner. Despite this, the principal entrance remains the focus of the new building, providing a route to Fujimoto’s grand stair. Connected to the outside world by a large axial


048 The Architectural Review / October 2010 / Buildings


window, this stair-cum-auditorium leads visitors up and into Fujimoto’s impressively re-imagined forest of books. Within this ‘forest’, timber


predominates, with the building’s steel frame cloaked in full-height wooden walls that give the impression they will eventually become full of books. It is unlikely that this will ever happen, however, not only for practical considerations of accessibility, but because not all the shelves have a load-bearing capacity. Regardless of this conceit, however, clarity of concept was maintained and the final configuration brings coherence and continuity to the interiors. Using plywood with an ash veneer, the blond timber works well with the diffuse light from the polycarbonate ceiling to provide a series of evenly lit, airy reading rooms. Externally, a darker timber is used, a result of the need to fire protect the envelope, with red cedar set in the same 900 x 300mm grid, cloaked in a sealed skin of 19mm float glass.


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