Forum "Recontextualizing the Design of the Hiroshima Children's Library 1953" to be held
Do you know there used to be a unique children’s library having shape of a morning glory in Hiroshima? The library, for which a world-famous architect Kenzo Tange is known as the designer, was built in 1953 as one of two newly established children’s libraries in the prefecture. In this small forum, we shed lights on multiple intersecting contexts of planners from which this unique design has been emerged. Abundant archival materials let us explore complex web of elements affected on the design and the plan of the library. From the case of the archival study on the libraries, we would like to argue how we could utilize architectural archives as knowledge media.
Program
| Opening | |
|---|---|
| Talk 1 | “Characteristics of the Hiroshima City Children’s Library” Takashi Matsumoto (Senior Researcher, Shimizu Corporation) |
| Talk 2 | “The Kenzō Tange Archive at Harvard University: Stewardship for Global Access” Inés Zalduendo (Special Collections Curator, Frances Loeb Library, Harvard University Graduate School of Design) |
| Talk 3 | “Comparative Study on Two Children’s Libraries in Hiroshima in 1950s” Yudai Nishiyama (Lecturer, Mukogawa Women’s University) |
| Talk 4 | “Children’s Libraries and Library Architecture in Japan: Evolution of Concepts, History, and Design” Akira Nemoto (Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo) |
| Discussion | |
| Closing |
This forum is a part of the collaborative research project: “Archival Study on the Design Process of the Hiroshima Children’s Library” between Institute of Technology, Shimizu Corporation and Mukogawa Women’s University.
| Date | 17 March 2026 9:00-11:00 (JST) / 16 March 2026 20:00-22:00 (EDT) |
|---|---|
| Place | Online (preregistration required) |
| Fee | Free |
| Contact | Takashi Matsumoto Senior Researcher, Historic Buildings Group, Center for Urban Space Engineering, Institute of Technology, Shimizu Corporation e-mail：takashi.matsumoto@shimz.co.jp |
| Co-hosted by | Institute of Technology, Shimizu Corporation; Mukogawa Women’s University |
| Auspices | Hiroshima City Culture Foundation Children’s Library |
| Support | Hiroshima Prefectural Library |
*Click to view the PDF (4.3MB)
