d+a | Issue 120 • 2021

/ LIBRARY / 58 “It is as if one were looking between trees in a forest, creating an interconnected, constantly changing panorama of layered activity,” describes Ito. On the second floor, the radial layout of the bookshelves forms the pie charts used in the Japanese library classification system, improving the searchability of books and enabling circulation routes that cut across the categorised stacks. Interspersed within the bookshelves are eight double-volume atria that are multi-purpose in nature, wedged along the perimeter of the building. “These ‘forest pockets’ resemble small clearings in the woods where the sky suddenly becomes visible and light pours in,” she explains. “Soundsandsightsescapeupwardsand outwards, allowing people in other parts of the building to sense the activity in these spaces.” A third feature is what Ito calls the “leafline”, the louvred ceiling with a 03-04. Double- volume atria are interspersed within the bookshelves constructed from laminated oak, likened as “forest pockets” that resemble small clearings in the woods. 03 MARI ITO, FOUNDER, URBAN ARCHITECTURE OFFICE