Seto City Library, Public library in Seto, Japan.
Seto City Library is a public facility in this pottery-centered city with separate zones for reading, studying, and hands-on community work. The building features corner towers and an open courtyard that links its different areas together.
Seto became known during the Kamakura period for its ceramic skills and production techniques. The city has remained a center of Japanese pottery ever since.
The library dedicates sections to local ceramics, showcasing how pottery shapes the identity of this city and its communities. You can see how deeply this craft tradition is woven into daily life here.
Local residents get free access cards, while visitors from outside pay a modest fee to use the collection and digital resources. The different sections are straightforward to navigate, with plenty of space for studying or browsing ceramic materials.
The building's corner towers and central open courtyard form an unusual layout for a library, creating interesting connections between different functional spaces. This design choice allows the building to feel both sheltered and open at the same time.
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