TOKYO (ANTI) LIBRARY

BRIEF

Japan and its people have been at the forefront of a digital revolution since the past four or five decades. The country has long existed between two realms. On the one hand, we have the traditional “old world” of temples, tea ceremonies and calligraphic cherry blossoms. On the other hand, there shines a futuristic “new” world of bullet trains, AI dogs, anime pilgrimages, 2.5-dimension theatres, digital currency like J-coin and receptive gaming consoles.
Experts are debating the effects of ‘obsessive’ digitization in the country which is isolating the people from one another. A high percentage of Japanese people are aging while the younger people are staying away from interacting with one another. Contemporary Japan and the whole set of its younger population are immersed in high speed internet and mobile-app culture.
The digital revolution stands out from its predecessors in a critical way: rather than making it easier for humans to use their surroundings more effectively for their own benefit, technology is displacing humans in the workplace. has the power to both reform the age-old education setup and even to destroy the ethics of the prevalent system? But its impact on the human institutions and functionalities can never be ignored.
The onset of digital revolution has questioned the existence of many institutions and technologies around the world. High speed internet and communication systems have made available a large pool of data online. Libraries have been considered as the ‘Temples of learning and knowledge’ through ages. Libraries are knowledge-dispersion centers with a large pool of books, documents, manuscripts, papers and what not.” Because people so often identify libraries with physical books, new digital information and communication technologies have spawned speculation whether libraries, as such, are obsolete. Digitization creates new challenges and opportunities, however, forcing libraries to both take on new roles and perform traditional roles in new ways.
The aim of the competition is to create an iconic 21st century ‘public library’ in the city of Tokyo, Japan and debate its role in a ‘digital age’. The proposal must aim to become a solution to the frequently questioned vitality of a library by enhancing and transforming its capabilities as a ‘knowledge sharing and research prototype’ that will become a model for the future libraries of the world.
As the roles of libraries change, so will the physical buildings they occupy. A library that lets people eat, drink, and converse while they share information could be “a strong mission statement” for a new-age library. A library building should aim to become more open, dynamic and permeable architecturally so that it could attract more and more people. Tokyo is a megapolis that is taking gigantic steps to become the city of the future. The library should become an icon and an important landmark for the city where people could converge and exchange knowledge. The impact of the library should be prolific, intense and symbolic that should reflect the contemporary nature of the city.
You can download the detailed briefs (including other information and reference material) by clicking on the DOWNLOAD tab at the bottom of this page.

SCHEDULE

Start of Competition and Early Registration: 1st May 2018
Early Registration ends: 30th June 2018
Standard Registration starts: 1st July 2018
Standard Registration ends: 30th July 2018
Closing day for Submissions: 31st July 2018
Announcement of Winners: 25th August 2018

*Note: All deadlines are 11:59 pm – 00:00 IST (India).

AWARDS

Winning participants will receive prizes totaling INR 2,00,000 with the distribution as follows:

First prize- INR 1,00,000/- + Certificate

Second prize- INR 60,000/- + Certificate

Third prize- INR 40,000/- + Certificate

10 Honorable mentions

Winners and honorable mentions will be published on archasm’s website and several international architecture magazines and websites partnered by us.

FEES

Early Registration:

From 1st May 2018 to 30th June 2018

For Indian nationals- INR 1500 (per team)
For Foreign nationals- EUR 60 (per team)

Standard Registration:

From 1st July 2018 to 30th July 2018

For Indian nationals- INR 1800 (per team)
For Foreign nationals- EUR 80 (per team)

Entrants may register by filling the registration form and submitting it with the appropriate payment through our secure gateway on our website www.archasm.in

Discount

Group discounts apply for a minimum of 5 teams from one particular architecture school/university as our initiative to promote more participation from students.

Send us the following details at queries@archasm.in to avail the offer.