OTEMON GAKUIN UNIVERSITY THE ACADEMIC-ARK

To commemorate its 130th anniversary, the university established a new campus closer to the station than the existing campus. It will accommodate about half of the student body. At a time when the Internet has made it possible to acquire knowledge without attending a school, our proposal asks what a university should be. It is a single building with a triangular plan – a minimal configuration that concentrates people and learning activities. From all three vertices of the triangular roof, the exterior slants sharply down and in, so as to invite people to enter the building. The library floats in the center as a strongly symbolic presence demarcated from everyday life. Beneath it is a hall where students naturally gather. The library is surrounded by classrooms and walkways equipped with bookshelves. Generous voids between the walkways and library provide a visual perspective on the activities that take place here.
The exterior is shielded by stainless steel screens which reduce the building’s environmental load and express the university’s identity with a motif of cherry blossoms, the school flower. After dark the facade is illuminated and becomes a guiding lamp for the region.