On the Binnengasthuisterrein, the most historic centre of Amsterdam, the University of Amsterdam is developing a University Quarter for the Faculty of Humanities. The University Library will be an integral part of this development and will be the central meeting place for the students of the faculty.
The new University Library will be housed in two monumental buildings, the Second Surgical Clinic and the Nurses’ House. By creating a canopy over the existing courtyard, it will be possible to experience the collection of buildings as one University Library. The new atrium will form the central heart of the UB and the new University Quarter.
The design of the University Library is a collaboration between MVSA Architects and Buro Van Stigt.
The interventions on the outside of the buildings will be minimal due to the monumental character of the buildings. Only on the open corner of the Nieuwe Doelenstraat a new building will be added. Due to its position, on the corner of the Universiteits Kwartier, this new extension also forms a visual landmark for the University Library.
The main entrance of the University Library is located on a lively square in the middle of the Binnengasthuisterrein. In addition to the centrally located monumental ambulance entrance, a new facade opening will be made, creating a direct relationship between the public area and the heart of the University Library: the Atrium. This passage will be made as transparent as possible for a strong visual connection between the square and the Atrium of the University Library.
The new atriumroof is a major intervention, the impact of the structure on the monumental buildings is limited to an absolute minimum. The building history remains legible at all times by a clear distinction between old and new.
The construction with integrated stairs forms the heart of the central atrium and unfolds like a flower over the roof edges of the Second Surgical Clinic and the Nurses’ House. The new roof follows the contours of the monuments as much as possible, high on the side of the clinic and the telephone tower, lower at the connection to the Nurses’ House. By transferring forces to the heart of the atrium, it is possible to minimize the impact of the roof on the monumental buildings.
Design principles that have been used are;
The atrium structure fulfils multiple functions, besides connecting the Second Surgical Clinic with the Nurses’ House and creating a central atrium, the atrium roof fulfils an indispensable role in the sustainability ambition of the UvA.
The walls and roofs of the monumental buildings are provided with insulation on the inside, which limits energy loss through the facade.
Sustainability goals atrium roof:
The ground floor of the University Library houses the most public spaces such as the UB canteen, study rooms without a collection, education and meeting rooms. These functions have a direct relationship with the public space and the atrium. From the central atrium, the main staircase provides access to the upper floors and the lending centre for books on level -1.
The study rooms with collections are mainly located in the former hospital rooms of the Second Surgical Clinic. The dimensions of these rooms are maintained, which provides a pleasant intimacy.
The rooms have floor-to-ceiling bookcases on three sides with a gallery halfway and a large table with study places in the middle.The corridors of the clinic are wide and offer space for an extension with comfortable seating. The beautiful existing balconies of the clinic are being restored to their former glory. Where patients used to be aired, students can now relax and take a break. The office functions for the staff and study rooms are housed in the Nurses’ House, alternating per floor.
On the corner of Nieuwe Doelenstraat and Binnengasthuisstraat, an extension is being added to the monumental buildings. Due to the monumental values, adjustments to the existing facades were not possible, the new extension offered the opportunity to visualize the new use of the monumental buildings and to give extra meaning to the location.
The new extension has a three-way division; the facade of the ground floor follows the existing buildings. The facade of the first and second floors run parallel to the buildings on the other side of the street and the third floor follows the sloping roof surfaces of the existing buildings.
A transparent 3D printed and bronze finished facade screen will be placed in front of the facade of the first and second floors of the extension. The facade screen acts as a filter between the study areas and apartments on the other side of the street, it provides privacy to the residents and vice versa. In addition, the screen provides sufficient shade on the facade of the study and collection areas so that the space does not heat up in the summer and thus the cooling of the building is limited.
In consultation with the University Library and local residents, the facade screen was filled with words and sentences. In collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities, the design was further developed and a text from the poem ‘Awater’ by Martinus Nijhof ‘Lees maar er staat niet wat er staat’ was used for the final design.
The first part of the sentence refers to the UB as an institution with a book collection and a ‘reading room’, while the second part of the sentence refers to the core task and activity of the Faculty of Humanities, namely interpreting sources from the past and present and identifying ambiguity.
In the design of the facade screen, the sentence has been translated into the 24 languages and 6 scripts taught at the University of Amsterdam. The design of the screen screen was created in collaboration with Erik van Blokland, who was responsible for the typographic design of the letters in the screen. Nedcam is the producer of the screen and has been closely involved in the realization of this facade from the first initiative.
‘Lees maar, er staat niet wat er staat’
‘But do read, it doesn’t say what is says ’
M. Nijhoff, Awater
