Although the new and existing buildings are in volcanic Ashino stone, they are different in character. In contrast to the traditional, solid, rough-hewn masonry of the older structures, the walls of the new buildings are precisely worked and articulated to relieve the sense of heaviness associated with stone. The load-bearing walls of the northern section are honeycombed with a geometric pattern of slit-like openings and recesses. The openings are filled internally with marble, which lends the construction a translucent quality. This concept is continued in the walls of the southern tract facing the pool of water, where the load-bearing steel structure is clad on the outside with slender strips of stone that allow air and light to pass through. In this way, the stonework is dissolved and acquires a quality of lightness and transparency. The internal and external pavings, as well as the roofing to one of the existing buildings, are in Shirakawa stone.
