this-library-is-almost-entirely-built-into-the-land-around-it

This Library Is Almost Entirely Built Into The Land Around It

A modern library built into the earth includes a curved glass wall and bookshelves that wrap around the wall.

Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP has recently completed a new library in Kisarazu, Japan, that has been built into the earth.

A modern library built into the earth includes a curved glass wall and bookshelves that wrap around the wall.

Almost hidden from view, the library is located in an area that was once a valley filled with construction debris.

A modern library built into the earth includes a curved glass wall and bookshelves that wrap around the wall.

Now rejuvenated, the land was able to be used, with the architects creating a small cleft in the earth, where a tranquil place suitable for farmers to rest was created.

A modern library built into the earth includes a curved glass wall and bookshelves that wrap around the wall.

When viewed from above, the cleft looks like a water drop, however when walking along the path, you arrive at curved walls of glass with bookshelves lining the walls behind.

A modern library built into the earth includes a curved glass wall and bookshelves that wrap around the wall.
A modern library built into the earth includes a curved glass wall and bookshelves that wrap around the wall.

Seating has been positioned between the bookshelves, while the ceiling heights have been determined by the slope of the land.

A modern library built into the earth includes a curved glass wall and bookshelves that wrap around the wall.
A modern library built into the earth includes a curved glass wall and bookshelves that wrap around the wall.

Areas with low ceilings have small hidden rooms that only children can enter, while at the deepest part, there’s a hall for storytelling.

A modern library that's built into the earth includes a storytelling room with a skylight.

The 40mm thick vertical frames of the bookshelves extend overhead to support the space. When a thin vertical beam supports the next one, and that vertical beam is also supported by its neighbor, a large space can be supported as a whole when the repetition makes a circle.

A modern library that's built into the earth includes a storytelling room with a skylight.

The top light at the center of the structure, which symbolizes the agricultural community of the area, frames a view that resembles the earth covered in blue sky and clouds.

A modern library that's built into the earth includes a storytelling room with a skylight.

Other smaller reading rooms also have skylights which provide natural light for reading.

A small reading room in a library, that includes a skylight.

Here’s a look at the plan and cross-section of the library.

The architectural plan of a library built into the earth.
The architectural cross-section of a library built into the earth.
Photography by Koji Fujii / TOREAL | Design: Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP | Drawing credit: Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP | Structure: RC + Timber | Structural Design: Kanebako Structural Engineers

Source: Contemporist

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