Before the 80’s and the building for the University of Utrecht’s new campus began, the site consisted of fields and avenues; a rural setting.
Now it is an exposition of both modern and contemporary Dutch architecture, therefore a great place for an architecture student to be. Though rather than indulge in all of these buildings, I shall briefly cover one...
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The universities Central library designed by architect, Wiel Artes in 2004. The entrances to the library are small so as to create an awareness of entry. Above the stairs and other places of meeting within the biblioteca, large vertical voids help trap sound and relief work on the internal concrete panels help dissipate unwanted noise.
Printed glass panels on the exterior of the cube - like the relief work on the concrete panels - are purposive. They reduce the light intensity by roughly 40% and some can open, as Holland does not always have bright sun.
The structural concept is that of two spines; these spines are the depositories of the biblioteca, off of which radiate the floors. The student who took us around said “the buildings space and purity are its chief achievements”
