28 February 2020
In the bustling, historic heart of Amsterdam lies the University Quarter: a square kilometre dedicated to knowledge and culture. This is the home of the Faculty of Humanities and the location of the new University Library (UB), the Allard Pierson Museum and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. It is the birthplace of the University of Amsterdam – the place to be for forward-looking education and groundbreaking research. The University Quarter is intended to foster peace, reflection and national and international cooperation with renowned research institutions, cultural and social organisations and businesses. Here, students, employees and entrepreneurs can meet with one another and form a connection between the UvA and the city. It will be an inspiring environment for anyone with an interest in science and culture.
Work to build, overhaul and renovate the University Quarter is currently in full swing. The first building scheduled for completion is the new UB.
The new University Library will be at the centre of the University Quarter, near the Agnietenkapel (St. Agnes Chapel) where the UvA – then the Athenaeum Illustre – was founded in 1632. The Agnietenkapel is visible at the start of the video above.
We are remodelling the monumental Second Surgical Clinic and the Zusterhuis building of the former Binnengasthuis hospital and combining them with a newly constructed section to form a single library building. In the video, this new wing will be where you can currently see the white wall with graffiti. The courtyard of the Binnengasthuis – currently shown in the video as a construction pit – will become an immense atrium with a glass roof. This complex construction project is being carried out in the historical Amsterdam city centre. The task of overhauling and renovating the monumental buildings requires structural engineering precision and cooperation with the city and surrounding residents. The construction and renovation work will take several years, and the building is expected to be completed at the end of 2022.
The new University Library will be an inspiring meeting place where you can study, conduct research and work. A place where the entire academic community is welcome and will feel at home. Through consultation and co-creation sessions with students, lecturers, researchers and other staff, the design of the UB has been closely coordinated to the needs of these users. It will contain a wide range of work and study places and lecture rooms, for instance.
If you are interested in a sneak peek of the building right now, you can sign up for a tour for UvA employees or those who are involved only. We will, of course, be keeping you up to date on all the latest developments!