Fukuoka (cit
Kitakyushu Central Library / Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Literature
Completed in 1974 / Opened in 1975 (Literature Museum was renovated and opened in 2006)
Location: Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture (present)
Site area: 17,074 m2
Building area: 3,612 m2
Total floor area: 9,212 m2
Structure: 2 floors above ground and 2 floors below ground, reinforced concrete + precast concrete
*Area of combined library and literature center
Located in the gently sloping Katsuyama Park in the center of Kitakyushu City, the building was designed as a complex of a library, history museum, and audiovisual center, with the front staircase leading to the building facing Kokura Castle. The front staircase leading up to the building faces Kokura Castle. Although completed in the same year as the Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art, the two buildings are very different in form. The two semi-circular vaults (arched structures), curved in parallel, are impressive, and the curved surface structure is dynamic both inside and outside the building. On the sectional wall where the vault ends, Isozaki arranged and designed a stained glass window based on a scheme from Miura Umeen's "Gengo". In addition, the Monroe Curve was used in the interior of the restaurant (now a café). Later, the History Museum and Audio Visual Center were relocated, and the building is now used as the Central Library, Children's Library, and Literature Center.
Kitakyushu City Library Official Site
Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Literature Official Site
