Nestled in a copse in a corner of a verdant field in Kisaru, Japan there’s an inviting library built to serve local residents of a farming community. Designed by architect Hiroshi Nakamura, Library in the Earth occupies a space that was once a natural valley filled with construction debris, leaving only flat, dry land above. Rather than imposing another structure upon the already altered landscape, the studio chose to carve a path into the earth leading to ‘Mother Pond,’ the locals’ affectionate term for the pond in the area. The gesture of leaving the upper layer intact in order for the plants and microorganisms to flourish was an acknowledgement of the soil’s role as a life-giver.

Taking the form of a water droplet, the library is accessed by descending to the entrance of a bookshelf-lined corridor. Overhead, living grass hangs from the concrete slab edges which cantilever from the retaining walls, introducing a dampness that changes along with the seasons.

Symbolism is embedded throughout the library’s structure: the way the bookshelves’ vertical frames support each other in mutual reinforcement recalls community strength, and the central skylight reminds readers of their connection to the world above. These thoughtful details encapsulate the project’s essence as “a library that thinks of the earth while being embraced in the wisdom of the earth and human beings.”