B-lock 北山

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B-Lock, an early work of Tadao Ando, began design in 1985 and was completed in 1990, located near Kyoto Kitayama Station. It is situated diagonally across from the Garden of Fine Arts, offering an opportunity to experience two of Ando's works at once. However, visiting Japan at the end of the year, the Garden of Fine Arts was missed due to the closure of most exhibition halls and museums in Japan during the New Year holidays. It was regrettable that only Galleria Akka and B-Lock could be seen. B-Lock is characterized by its construction using concrete blocks. A grid that fills the entire site incorporates arcs for circulation, creating various spaces inside and outside. Inside the circular wall, there is a box-shaped mass, and stairs along the circular wall, which become narrower as they go up, allowing one to feel the shape of the wall. The building and the road are not directly connected by the wall. Stairs created along the wall are made both inside and outside, with the inside stairs connecting from the road to the second floor, and the outside stairs from the road to the third floor. Separated by the wall, it is disconnected from the neighboring building. As a commercial facility, it may lack in terms of offering a commercial facade to attract people.