KANSAI-KAN
LIBRARY
KYOTO
JAPAN, 1996
CULTURE
PR–099
Inserting architecture into nature. Almost nothing, just a flash of light, a shining line—this is the poetic and immaterial sign of the Library’s presence.
GALLERY
018
PROGRAM
The Kansai-Kan Library organizes its spaces around functions dedicated to consultation, research, and the dissemination of knowledge. It includes public and specialized reading rooms, reception and public service areas, and conference rooms. The building also incorporates storage facilities, administrative offices, and technical rooms.
DETAIL
Situation
Kansai Science City, Kyoto, Japan
Year
1996
Status
International contest
Site area
38 000 m²
Project area
55 000 m²
Project management
Government Department of Buildings, Ministry of Construction, Tokyo
Project implementation
Dominique Perrault Architecte
DESCRIPTION
Buried in the ground, the Kansai-Kan library appears as a fragment of the landscape, an organic growth born of the topography. Only a sliver of glass protrudes, its shifting reflections capturing the eye and exerting a discreet but continuous force of attraction. To reach this “crystal,” visitors cross a vast wooden esplanade, bordered by a wooded garden that gradually accompanies the descent to the building.
READ MORE
As you approach the entrance, your perceptions multiply: transparencies overlap, images double, and the surrounding nature intertwines with the calm and focused universe of the reading rooms below. Inside, a vast space bathed in soft, filtered overhead light welcomes and organizes the various functions related to reading. The reading areas are delimited by fabric-covered enclosures, offering readers quiet, comfortable, and human-scale spaces while preserving the visual continuity of the volume. In this vast room, the layout is designed to be flexible and scalable, capable of adapting to uses, scientific developments in the collections, and technological transformations in reading modes.
RELATED PROJECTS
SAN PELLEGRINO THERMAL BATHS
PR 362
Hospitality
Bergamo
FRAPOTEL
RE 003
Research
MESH / MAILLE
RE 001
Research
TECHNICAL CENTER FOR BOOKS
PR 085
Culture
Bussy-Saint-Georges
NOTRE-DAME-DU-LAUS SANCTUARY
PR 443
Culture
Gap
GRAND THEATER
PR 487
Culture
Albi
EXHIBITION HALL LEÓN
PR 555
Culture
León
GROUNDSCAPE
R 002
Research
CCTV BEIJING
PR 211
Workplace
Beijing
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
PR 113
Culture
New York
DUFOUR PAVILLION
PR 517
Culture
Versailles
CULTURAL COMPLEX LAUSANNE
PR 505
Culture
Lausanne
MARIINSKY THEATER
PR 238
Culture
St-Petersbourg
FONDATION PINAULT FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
PR 192
Culture
Boulogne-Billancourt
LIGHTWALK – GANGNAM INTERNATIONAL TRANSIT CENTER
PR 669
Masterplan
Seoul
THE FRENCH NATIONAL LIBRARY
PR 083
Culture
Paris
