Bookery is a response to the issue of how to slot the library of the University of Amsterdam into the fragmented urban fabric of the old town centre. The site in question is in the grounds of a former hospital (Binnengasthuis), an area that seems to have reached the limits of its planning potential. It clearly shows the traces and scars of an illustrious past and these may well be the primary cause of the identified cessation. In a protected central area such as this, the urge to preserve its cultural heritage is strong. At the same time, the old morphological structures are no longer able to cope with the new urban wants and wishes. The upshot is that sensitively kept-up inner urban areas have to relinquish some of their heritage sooner or later. Bookery seeks to counter this process. It unravels and redefines sundry historical, sociocultural and architectural/structural layers so that the Binnengasthuis site regains a rightful place in the city. A high-powered architectural statement can consolidate this new position.

Four themes relate the narrative of Bookery. The aisle evokes the feeling of an archetypical library with endless rows of bookstacks where one can roam and lose oneself. Together the aisles constitute a three-dimensional diagram alternating floors and voids. The stacks themselves serve a constructional function as walls for the aisles; a place where books and online study are equally at home. This makes for a particularly compact library. The developed system is disrupted by the excessive dimensions of the floors and voids. This injects moments of variety and surprise into the endless repetition while securing architectural continuity. The technical solutions informing the main structure and the bookstack walls refer to the context at every stage, from concept to built form. So despite its maverick position in the grounds, its seeming dominance and modern demeanour, Bookery is a typical product of Amsterdam-style building.

Place of education: TU Eindhoven
Specialization: architecture
Tutors: Christian Kieckens, Jos Bosman, John Swagten