New Building 33 completed – A new landmark with links to history
Tue, Sep 30, 2014-
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Waseda University dedicated the second phase of construction of the new Building 33 on September 10. Along with the first phase completed in February, the design pays tribute to the original Building 33, designed by 1918 Waseda graduate Togo Murano, and will open for use with the new semester this month.
New Building 33 (tower portion)
The former Building 33, designed by Togo Murano and completed in 1962, lends stylistic features to the new building in the roof design, the skywalk connecting to Building 31, and numerous special details reflecting Murano’s touch. The “Mosaic of the Forest”, by Roka Hasegawa, was reinstalled in the 1st floor entrance, along with his fresco “Aphrodite”, Toshichi Iwata’s textured glass work, Shindo Tsuji’s tile reliefs and other art.
Curious chairs in the lobby
The interior is mostly white, as a backdrop for the “decoration” of students” activities. The building will be the new home for classrooms, offices and research facilities such as the Research Institute for Letters, Arts and Sciences.
White-toned interior
Tile relief by Shindo Tsuji (1960)
Mosaic of the Forest (1961) Photo by Ishiguro Photo Lab
“This will surely be a launching pad for our education and research,” said President Kaoru Kamata. “We want to make the whole Toyama campus into a place that will engender affection in our staff, students, alumni and the surrounding community.”