Building Knowledge

For many, libraries represent a pinnacle of human achievement. A collective centre of vast, awesome knowledge and experiences, gathered from around the world in a single building. A place for learning or to satisfy your craving for new and exciting stories.

I’m sure I would love libraries even more if I knew how to read (I really should learn, it’s making writing for a living quite difficult). Still, even illiterate goofs like myself can admire Nasher Grove City Library, a marvelous cathedral-like structure that could probably house every book in the world within its humongous halls.

“I wanted to create a building with that ‘wow’ factor in mind, when you enter the inside to explore it for the first time.” says DestrucitveBurn, a Canadian builder and the grand architect behind the Nasher Grove City Library. “To do that I needed to build something epic and unexpected. Level of detail is what brings [that] wow factor.“

DestrucitveBurn’s build was born from an idea he liked in the game Assassin’s Creed Unity. Specifically, a cathedral with downspouts that could trap and send water off the roof caught his attention. But he also decided to use a rather unconventional material for exterior walls – dirt blocks!

DestructiveBurn believes having patterns is more eye-appealing than looking at plain colors. “ [It] makes structures look old and brings in that detail that all builds should have. Decorating with patterns has been in our history for generations. Minecraft is no exception.”

Walking through the entire building feels like a walk through history, reminding me of other great libraries, such as the giant Library of Congress which holds more than 32 million books within its walls (have you read them all yet?). Nasher Grove City Library might not have that many books, but it makes up for it in size. The whole building is 469 blocks wide, 779 blocks long, and 188 blocks in height.

“Most libraries on our planet are a place of knowledge. This knowledge is something that can come from all around the world. As the Library is a massive center filled with all sorts of books, the globe is a symbol of that idea.”

Just like his library, DestructiveBurn seems to love spreading knowledge. He’s made a YouTube video for Nasher Grove City Library with more info about his build and encouraging messages for other builders. Messages like ”Creativity can go a long way – never give up” and ”If you put your mind to something, you can achieve anything”.