Sendai Mediatheque

Sendai Mediatheque opened in 2001 and was designed by architect Toyo Ito as a transparent stack of floors supported by hollow tube columns filled with light. It functions as a library, art gallery, film center, and community space all in one building. The ground floor is open to anyone and has a cafe, and the upper floors rotate through contemporary art exhibitions and host film screenings. The building itself is widely studied as a work of architecture, and the visual effect of the column structures visible through the glass facade is striking from the street. It is free to enter the public areas.