TAMA ART UNIVERSITY LIBRARYTOKYOToyo Ito & Associates

HachiojiTokyo , Japan

•Located in the suburbs of Tokyo•It lies between Tama Art University's main gate and the center of campus. •Tama acts as  an active thoroughfare for people crossing the campus, even without intending to go to the library.

modern interpretation of a geologic cave, which is a superb natural example of how to delineate spaces 

•located in the western part of Tokyo and provides an ideal environment because of the More open and green spaces in which students can study and practice all aspects of art and design.•The library is the Northern gateway to Tama Art University's Hachioji Campus in the suburbs of Tokyo therefore the students have to pass through it to get to the main building

Site

•provide san open commonality for all, the existing cafeteria was the sole place in the university shared by both students and staff members across all disciplines•wide open gallery on the ground level that would serve as an active thoroughfare for people crossing the campus•The circulation and services are on the south-western part of the building•The cafeteria has its kitchen in a circular space, right next to it•The north and west facade is facing green and open spaces so making it a calm environment for the readers. •Ground floor mostly has media related facilities

planning

•The arches, ranging from 9 feet to 49 feet in width, are formed along intersecting arcs, with the columns being at intersection points. They are spaced evenly enough to provide adequate structural integrity.•The idea was to distort and modulate it, to get what is called an "emergent grid".•emergent grid of curved lines where the load is evenly distributed in its 56 intersecting points. This allowed for the carving of the arches in a way, so the thinnest part is where they touch the floor - much like the stalactites that inspired the project. Thus, the heavy concrete construction seems almost impossibly light.•Though the building's 166 arches, varying in width from 1.8 to 16 m, follows the same grid on both levels, not two of them are exactly alike, as the floor slopes at the ground floor while the roof slants at the first floor.•The columns supporting these arches are very thin. The arches are comprised of steel plates anywhere between 0.4 and 0.6 inches thick, covered in concrete.•While flanged steel plates could be used near the tops of arches, their bases required something unique to support the arches and fit their cross shape.  To counteract Japan’s seismic activity-which could easily rupture these weak column supports-rubber isolators were installed. A slip isolation was also used to further prevent against possible earthquake damage.•Thus, the outer walls are lined with windows to allow large views towards the exterior.

Structural system

• three-degree slope on its ground floor•the floor of the ground level follows the slope of the surrounding terrain allowing the building to blend in with its natural surroundings, blurring of the lines between inside and outside. It almost seems like the ground has eroded away under the building. •In the South-facing end where the roof is lowest, there is a formal zone defined by the high, rectilinear shelves, while in the North-facing end, a more informal reading and studying area is indicated by low, sinuous shelves loosely following the curves of the grid.•The basement is on the south end having the mechanical area and storage•The intersections of the rows of arches help to articulate softly separated zones within this one space.•The spatial diversity one experiences when walking through the arches different in span and height changes seamlessly from a cloister-like space filled with natural light, to the impression of a tunnel that cannot be penetrated visually.

Arch system –spatial analysis

• The arches are comprised of steel plates anywhere between 0.4 and 0.6 inches thick, covered in concrete •The exterior comprises of glass and fair faced concrete•The floor of the ground floor is concrete while the first floor is covered with a black carpet•The furniture is either of black colour or wooden, glass•Its more of a raw interior as well as exterior creating tones of grey and harmony•The sizes of the arches and the furniture varies creating rhythm, giving these zones a sense of both individual character and visual as well as spatial continuity and everyone can discover their style of “interacting" with books and film media •The fact that the shelves in the studying area are below eye level, enables the library-goers to see the crowns of the surrounding trees every which way they look. In this way, the "actual" nature is brought into the building and contrasts the mimicked nature inside. materials

Seen from a distance, Tama Art University Library's razor-sharp concrete arches resemble those of a Roman aqueduct. But these associations come to a sudden end once you enter the building and find a wide-stretched cavernous and arcade-like space.

Its exterior glass walls and large arches allow the contours of the natural environment surrounding the campus to extend into the interior creating an exhilaratingly open space.

Toyo Ito’s library at Tama Art University is comprised of a series of concrete arches. The arches, which are of varying span lengths, are arranged in an irregular patterns driven by the slope of the surrounding landscape. The arches intersect to form slender, loosely cruciform columns which ever so gently connect with the earth. 

The concrete ceiling is largely uncluttered, with the exception of a series of halo pendants floating between the arches. The spaces are divided into a variety of functions, allowing students to occupy it in a number of ways from focused quiet study, chilled out relaxation areas and areas for chatty social interaction..

Comparison between peckham library (London) & Tama art university library (Tokyo)

HachiojiTokyo , Japan

•Both of the libraries are located in the suburbs of their respective cities•They are designed according to the social context•Tama acts as  an active thoroughfare for people crossing the campus, even without intending to go to the library. The same is with peckham but the people pass through the cantilevered 4th floor and not through it.•Tama has more green and open spaces around it.

Southwark,London,United kingdom

Tama art university library

Peckham library

Privatepublic

The zoning of private/public spaces is planned according to the grid

The spatial diversity one experiences when walking through the arches different in span and height changes seamlessly from a cloister-like space filled with natural light, to the impression of a tunnel that cannot be penetrated visually.

The cantilevered 4th floor is the main reading space while the whole rectangular block is used for the private spaces and vertical circulation

zoning

The structural system is driven by the pods and the slanting columns on the ground floor supporting the cantilever 4th floor.

The structural system is on the grid which is clearly visible on the plan.

Using emergent grid of curved lines where the load is evenly distributed in its 56 intersecting points, explores the static potential of the grid to distort and modulate it.

The library on the first floor has a completely open plan made possible by the grid - one large fluid, continuous space with no walls, just arches.

Structural system

•Construction material is concrete and steel, the use of materials is monotonic ranging from black to white.•The characteristic arches are made out of steel plates covered with concrete.•The use of glass on the exterior makes the whole structure light and transparent and it lets the flow and views of the people freely penetrate through the building.

•Variety of materials used including pre-patinated copper, steel, colored glass panels and wood.•The interior and exterior are contrasting in nature through materials.•the red carpeting and the various sitting pockets under the pods makes the interior cozy and comfortable •The copper and wire mesh used on the exterior makes the building rough and tough and with the colored panels this library becomes striking to look at.

materials

lighting

•Natural lighting used mainly through the niches and opening in roof above the pods

•Apart from the fully glazed wall on the north façade, the openings on all the other sides are smaller but still the amount of light is well-calculated

•The main reading room is a double height space so therefore artificial lighting is provided in the false ceiling which is supported by beams visible from the sides.

•Full sized windows on the exterior walls

•Ample amount of light into the library

•The artificial lighting is all indirect

•The circular plate like chandeliers provide reflective light

The structure overall is light and transparentThe planning is defined Artificial thermal heating is provided but natural lighting is ample It is more geometric with the rectangular and triangular spaces formed

Bulky and solid structureIt has a surprising element with the contrasting use of materials in the exterior and interiorThe lighting and air circulation makes it a sustainable designThe slanting columns make it non-uniform and informal

Tama art university library

Peckham library

bibliography

www.bbc.comwww.wikepedia.com

http://peckham2.tumblr.comhttp://www.kme.com/en/peckhamlibrary

http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/peckhamInterior for under 5s by Melissa Jones

http://www.dezeen.com/http://www.arcspace.com/

http://archidialog.com/http://www.theguardian.com/

https://maps.google.comJapanese Interior Design by Michelle Gadindo