A tower of books is encased inside a glass pyramid at this public library that Dutch firm MVRDV have completed in Spijkenisse.

Book Mountain by MVRDV

Named Book Mountain, the building contains a spiralling trail of staircases, pathways and terraces that create a 480 metre-long route through five floors of bookshelves towards a cafe beneath the pyramid’s apex.

Book Mountain by MVRDV

The library’s glass form sits on top of a rectilinear brick base to give it a similar overall shape to the archetypal Dutch farmhouse, with low-rising walls, a large sloping roof and even a brick chimney.