Katsura Library at Kyoto University / K.ASSOCIATES/Architects

The Faculty of Engineering of Kyoto University, originally located at the main campus of Hyakumanben in the northeast part of Kyoto City, has followed the gradual move to a new campus in Katsura, the western part of Kyoto. This new Katsura campus was built with strict image control, to create a unified theme for the entire campus. And the project this time was to set up a new library for the Katsura campus. In 2015, we were assigned to come up with a proposal for building this library, to be submitted to the Ministry of Culture and Science. The site was already designated in the total campus plan. It faced the office wing of the Faculty of Engineering, with a distant view over a bamboo forest, of the streets of Kyoto City to the east. The first plan was made in conjunction with the guidelines from the Faculty of Engineering.