My graduation project is a library housed in a riverside brick tower in the polder. The library is set centrally in a string of islands which also contain public baths, a hotel and an institute of learning. An indoor world of brick, water and willows, the library is the embodiment of ideals expressed in architecture. In that sense it critiques modernity and its manifestations, embracing instead the myth and the landscape of Holland.

Inevitably, there is an insidious urbanism dogging the cultivated landscape round the river Amstel. One way out would be to launch a landscape-architectural offensive. This would heighten the density of leisure pursuits and formalize the river landscape with the library as its symbolic centre.

The library is an articulated brick tower of 25 by 25 metres and 40 metres high with an inner world of concrete, wood and books. Its construction makes a real contribution to the diversity and ambivalence of the spatial condition. The 'book case' with space for 200,000 books (1000 m²) is a timber truss structure thrusting up four storeys in the centre of the tower, with the racks slung between the trusses. As the number of books grows so too does the accumulation of racks between the trusses. The central void brings twilight to this world of wood and books, and an asymmetrical squeaky wooden stair encourages visitors to worm their way among the books.

There is a moment of stillness where the timber structure meets the brick external wall. This is where the world of books and that of the (new) landscape come together. This is where one reads Faust.

Place of education: TU Delft
Specialization: architectuur/architecture
Tutors: Max Risselada, Henk Mihl, Clemens Steenbergen & Arie Graafland