Museum of literature by tadao ando

Tadao ando and his architecture always comes to my mind when i think of minimal architecture and his usage of natural elements such as air, light, water and landscape in a special way in his projects always fascinates me.In the case of this building for instance- The museum of literature at himiji in japan. he uses water glass and concrete as a primary binding element in the building and also to potray the connection between the new and the old is inspiring.A shallow pool of water on the exterior perimeter of the Annex building intersects with the glass and concrete volumes, extending the facade vertically onto the reflective surface of the water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytfui7VhiKE

A horizontal window placed at floor and water level of the concrete wall that wraps to enclose a double-height lounge area allows for a continual relation between exterior and interior and a constant play of surfaces between the reflection of the glass and the reflection of the water.The water feature for the Museum of Literature forms the approach to the entry and is quite extensive. The curved wall with the tall windows is very graceful and gives a most appropriate tranquillity to the building.

the building started as a annex which was a library. the main building is made of 2 equal cubes which overlap at a 30 degree angle but one of the cubes is wrapped by a cylinder which has a 20 mtr radius. this usage of intresting geometry bring out the special features of the surrounding

the circulation paths created,integation of the natural climate and surroundings into the building and the incorporation of water and landscape inspired from the surroundings attracted me the most to the building.The architects respect to the site and the history which was that the site had a castle before to which the new building connects now and also some of the elements of the building have historical significance as he did not destroy them put integrated them into his building design in really intresting