Ritsumeikan University Hirai Kaichiro Memorial Library

This building was planned as a key facility in the redevelopment project for the Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Campus. Kaichiro Hirai, for whom it is named, was a graduate of the university, and founder of Nichicon Corporation. The building was made possible by a donation from his wife, Nobuko Hirai. The concept is “See, touch, and encounter learning.” This project was planned on the basic policies of “a long-lived library able to adapt to changing times as the academic symbol of the University” and “a library that can adapt to changing learning styles, while emphasizing the traditional culture and roles of libraries.” The facade composition has dignity and gravity, befitting an academic symbol, while in the interior, areas are loosely joined together by glass that gives a feeling of transparency. The mutual stimulus of seeing and being seen between areas spurs study. The “library valley” in the center is a three-story atrium, as a symbolic space for the library, where people can see scenery of learning and of arrayed books. In the interior, the themes are harmony between the building and its fixtures and the combination of classic and modern styles. Color tone and the light environment are controlled to create an atmosphere that is increasingly quiet and solemnly relaxed with progression from lower to higher floors. The reading rooms offer students their pick of diverse seating, including carrels for focused study and sofas for relaxation, to provide a comfortable and pleasant learning environment. Structurally, parts of the building use PRC beams and PC composite floor slabs to allow broader spacing between columns for better visibility through spaces. The ceiling under the ribbed PC floor slabs is omitted to reveal the structural frame, accenting the tranquil atmosphere of the interior.