One-Room Space under a Big Roof, Echoing Regional Wooden Farmhouse
Scattered villages and “Azumadachi”
The wide open fields of Tonami, that once contributed grain to Kaga-hyakumangoku as the wealth of the Kanazawa region, form part of a breathtaking rural landscape peppered with “Sankyoson” or scattered settlements. People who have lived here for generations have a strong emotional connection to the landscape and enjoyed a high quality of life.
The look and feel of the new library building by MIKAMI architects is inspired by “Azumadachi” (regional wooden farmhouses). It was the image of such a farmhouse that the concept of a “one-roomed library under a big roof” was based on.
The large roof as landmark
The architects wanted the roof, with its scale and gradual roll, to be the new landmark of the city of Tonami. As well as a modern interpretation of Azumadachi, it is also a symbol of public liberal arts, resembling Pegasus’ wings soaring to the future. The architects designed the building to open to the street on the west side so that people can see the interior from under the eave, which is set low and parallel to the street.
The one-roomed interior space
A two-way staircase that leads to the upper level also shares the connected space and allows for an unimpeded view of the entire interior. From there, building users can admire the mosaic of a magnified tulip that adorns the carpet that covers the ground floor.
The interior is a continuous space that rises from the inverting roll of the oversize roof. The pitch of the ceiling is steep on the north side: here people can interact with each other, which stimulates vitality. The pitch becomes more gradual toward the end, offering visitors a sense of relief amidst a forest of books. From children to the elderly, every visitor to the library will be enveloped in the warmth of wood and the soft natural light that streams in through the high windows.
Project: Tonami Public Library / Location: Toyama Prefecture, Japan / Architects: MIKAMI Architects (Representative), Oshida Architects & Engineers Co.,Ltd. / Chief Architect: Kazuhiko Mashiko (MIKAMI Architects chief Architect) / Design Architect: Taketoshi Tomita, Manabu Masaki, Natsumi Koma (MIKAMI Architects), Yukio Hamagata (Oshida Architects & Engineers Co.,Ltd.) / Structural engineer: Kuramochi Katsumi, Yusuke Kawamata (MIKAMI Architects) / Facility engineer: Akeno Facility Resilience Inc., Masayuki Okumura (Oshida Architects & Engineers Co.,Ltd.) / Lighting Design: Reiko Chikada Lighting Design Inc. / Client: Tonami City / Use: public library / Gross Built Area: 2,819.48m2 / Total Floor Area: 3,342.62m2 / Structure: RC+S / Completion: 2020 / Photograph: Koji Horiuchi
