Bookstores may be closing right and left in cities all over the world, but in January 2012 Tokyo welcomed Daikanyama Tsutaya Books with an enthusiastic embrace. A new, 140,000-volume shop designed by the Tokyo-based firm Klein Dytham architecture (KDa), the building started out as a rebranding project for the media giant Tsutaya, which has 1,440 bookstores and CD-rental outlets throughout Japan. In addition to upgrading the company image, it resulted in a novel retail destination.
From competition to completion, the project took just 20 months, despite delays during construction caused by the 2011 earthquake. KDa's winning solution entailed three discrete, staggered volumes connected by a web of external walks and internal axes. Known for eye-popping elevations and clever contextual engagement, the architects got their conceptual foothold from the Tsutaya logo: a bold yellow T on a cobalt-blue background. “It was obvious what to do in three minutes,” says KDa principal Mark Dytham.
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