Amsterdam Uni Library reopens after 12-year renovation, featuring €140 million makeover
After a 12-year renovation costing 140 million euros, the University of Amsterdam’s library on the former Binnengasthuisterrein is ready to welcome students starting September 1, AT5 reports.
“The most complex and expensive part of the building is the bicycle parking,” library director Carlos Reijnen told AT5. The underground facility accommodates 600 bicycles and required extensive construction work. “For the bicycle parking, the entire foundation was excavated, and the whole building was slightly lifted. A foundation was built one floor lower. You can’t see it anymore, but it is the most complex and costly part of the entire building.”
Architect Roberto Meyer emphasized the building’s purpose: “My project is successful if every student later remembers an unforgettable study time in this building. Only then have you done it well.”
Meyer collaborated with city architect André van Stigt to merge multiple historic buildings under one roof—a complex task given the structures’ age. Van Stigt previously preserved Pakhuis de Zwijger by building the Jan Schaeferbrug underneath and converted a former tram depot in West into the De Hallen entertainment center.
The former surgical theater has been reportedly meticulously restored in its original style. It once hosted anatomy lessons for medical students and now serves as a lecture hall for the entire university.
