Purpose of the façade screen 

The first variations on the new inner Library’s design were drawn up decades ago. The decision to wrap the new wing – which was to be located on the former parking lot next to the Tweede Chirurgische Kliniek (Second Surgical Clinic) and the Zusterhuis (Nurses’ Quarters) – in a ‘veil’ was made back in 2013. Besides being able to filter sunlight, the screen’s unique design would also serve as an eye-catching addition to the UvA campus.   

‘But do read, it doesn’t say what it says’ 

A façade screen competition in 2020 gave people the chance to contribute to the design. Entries were considered by a panel of judges, who eventually decided on a typeface design with the letters spelling out a sentence from Martinus Nijhoff’s narrative poem ‘Awater’: ‘But do read, it doesn’t say what it says’. This sentence has since become a poetic metaphor for the library’s dual purpose. ‘The Library draws in passers-by and urges them to “Read it!” To which the faculty adds,“But bear in mind, you may not be reading what you think”,’ says professor of Hebrew, Aramaic and Syrian languages and cultures Irene Zwiep, who teaches at the Faculty of Humanities and was on the UB’s original design committee. 

Construction 

Typeface designer Erik van Blokland was selected to create the sentence design. He chose a design that reflected the 24 languages and six scripts that were being taught by the faculty at the time. The design was cast in 3D printed components, which were then finished with a bronze coating. The video reveals how these components were mounted onto the façade and what makes them the linking element between the renovated and listed buildings.  

Final phase 

The final phase of the University Library’s construction started in early May. The building is now being furnished, the collection and inventory will be moved during the summer and the building is being made ready for use at the start of the new school year. The UB collection will therefore be available at its new location as of 1 September.