Sendai Mediatheque

Toyo Ito – Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi Japan, 1995-2001

The Sendai Mediatheque is a multimedia center located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito in 1995 and completed in 2001.

The Media Library is a brilliant example of optimization of internal space through the choice of the structural scheme. It is a glass parallelepiped measuring 50x50x37 meters with 2 underground floors and 7 above ground. The load-bearing structure consists of 13 lattice pillars, made from a set of steel tubes that are twisted with respect to the vertical axis, thus ensuring the presence of a shaft inside them for the purpose of housing elevators, fire escapes and various systems. The horizontal elements are 7 ribbed steel plates reinforced with concrete.