Asia Pacific spotlights a project that enhances farmer inclusion with an educational and recreational space designed for the use of farmers and their families.

Asia Pacific is a massive geographic area made up of nations with wide-ranging economic strengths and cultural differences. This year, we are spotlighting a transformative project that provides an educational and recreational space to an overlooked population — farmers and their families — with the goal of improving their lives and creating a more sustainable city and community.

Library in the Earth  For creating an educational recreational space for an overlooked population  UN SDG: 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities  Japan

Laborers are typically overlooked when it comes to inclusive community design. This may be especially true for farmers, whose work is usually physically isolated from the larger community. Such separation can exacerbate laborers’ stress, preventing them from accessing the leisure and recreation services that are available to the public.

Architect Hiroshi Nakamura and the firm NAP sought to correct this problem by creating Library in the Earth, a leisure and recreation space designed for the use of farmers and their families. As its name suggests, the purpose-built library is constructed in, not on, the land, adjacent to a farm, and invites farmers into an area for learning, reflection, and relaxation.

But the Library in the Earth project is purposeful in that it also draws the larger community into the farmers’ workspace. The owners of Kurkku Fields organic farm have created a campus of sorts, which invites the public on-site for farm tours, interactive experiences, and even overnight stays. The farm is studded with contemporary art that draws fans of Yayoi Kusama from far and wide. The overall effect is to make farmers and their work visible, drawing them into the community and the community back to them.

The project was awarded the 2024 Asia Architecture Design Awards’ prize in the Best Architecture Design category. Judges cited Library in the Earth’s “innovative design and emphasis on sustainability,” making it “a beacon of ecological stewardship and community empowerment.” Library in the Earth is expected to be a reference point for more inclusive community design worldwide.