Architects: Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP
Area: 113 m²
Year: 2022
Photographs: Koji Fujii / TOREAL
Structural Designers: Kanebako Structural Engineers
City: Kisarazu
Country: Japan
Library in the Earth, designed by Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP, is located at KURKKU FIELDS in Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan. Created for farmers, the library blends into its natural surroundings by existing beneath the flourishing plants and soil microorganisms. The design features a corridor of bookshelves without beams and columns, cantilevered concrete slabs, earthen finishes, and a lawn extending to the vertical slab edge. Inside, ceiling heights follow the ground slope, creating varied spaces including a storytelling hall. The library’s structure, with thin vertical beams supporting each other, symbolizes the agricultural community, framing views of the sky and clouds.
The Library in the Earth, located in a corner of KURKKU FIELDS in Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan, is designed for farmers who spend sunny days plowing fields and rainy days reading books. The flat, dry land sits atop a valley filled with construction debris.
The project’s goal was to restore the lush valley leading to the pond known as Mother Pond. The architects aimed for the building to exist humbly beneath the flourishing plants and microorganisms, avoiding the cultivated soil layer. The earth is regarded as the source of all life and a symbol of motherhood.
The design creates a small cleft in the earth, forming a tranquil place for farmers to rest. Viewed from above, the cleft resembles a water drop. As visitors approach through the plowed ground, a corridor of bookshelves emerges. The design eliminates traditional architectural elements like beams and columns, using concrete void slabs cantilevered from outer retaining and wing walls. The floor, walls, and ceiling all have an earthen finish, seamlessly connecting. The lawn planted up to the vertical slab edge hangs down, creating a sense of dampness and balancing irrigation and water retention according to the season.
Inside, ceiling heights follow the slope of the ground, resulting in areas with low ceilings and hidden rooms accessible only to children. At the deepest part, there is a storytelling hall. This womb-like space features folds of bookshelves surrounding stepped seats, holding books from farm workers’ collections and children’s books. The 40mm thick vertical frames of the bookshelves extend overhead, supporting the space.
When a thin vertical beam supports another, and that beam is in turn supported by its neighbor, the repetition in a circular pattern can collectively sustain a large space. This chain of reciprocal support creates a social space that cannot be achieved by individual strength alone. The top light at the center of the structure symbolizes the agricultural community of KURKKU FIELDS, framing a view of the earth beneath a blue sky and clouds. This library embodies a connection with the earth.
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Project Location
Address: Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
