Librarians Aren't the Only Ones Throwing Shade in This Japanese Media Center

Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Toyo Ito is at it again, this time crafting Seussian, lampshade-like ceiling fixtures made of polyurethane for a media center and library in Gifu, Japan. The fixtures help define areas in the space, including nooks for casual reading, tables and benches for study, and more. In addition to lending what is an otherwise rectilinear design of concrete-and-steel structural supports and wood shelving a bit of visual intrigue, the lantern-like installations help bring natural light down from the roof through the lattice-wood ceiling and into workstations below.

∙ Toyo Ito Installs Giant Lanterns Within the Gifu City Library [Designboom]
∙ Seven Weird Facts About 2013 Pritzker Prize Winner Toyo Ito [Curbed]
∙ Poetry of Place Explored in Artsy Video About a Modern Library [Curbed]
∙ All Toyo Ito coverage [Curbed]