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The UBU is a library located on the campus of Utrecht University in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Incorporating 4.2 million books, 1,000 seats, 450 parking places, 300 workstations, 3 shops, 1 auditorium and 1 bar - the UBU, comparable to a data recorder, is more than a place where people can consult books, it is a place where they can work in a concentrated fashion, but also one where they can meet other people without the need of any other stimulation except the atmosphere that the building radiates.

Glass and concrete panels clad the volumes of the building. The glass panels are printed with a repetitive image of a papyrus plant. Papyrus - a traditional material used in paper production - derives etymologically from the Greek byblos , which also serves as the root for words such as bibliography, bibliophile, and – in Dutch – Bibliotheek, or library. The papyrus image is replicated on each glass panel, allowing the façade to perform as a curtain which veils the library while also making subtle allusion to the nature of the program within. The pattern printed facade also mitigates sunlight entering the building, protecting the library’s printed materials. The pattern, which is also cast into the concrete panels of the exterior and interior walls, carries the allegorical motif into the various programs of the library.


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Exterior.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Exterior.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Close-up of the glass façade.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Close-up of the glass panel printed with a repetitive image of a papyrus plant.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Interior.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Interior.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Interior.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Interior.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Interior.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Interior.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

The book depots, which seem to float, divide the space into zones and are interconnected by stairs and slopes. All in black figured concrete on which a partly double-glazed facade to which a silk-screened figurative pattern has been applied in order to let natural light into the building encases the reading rooms rest. The glass façade also encloses the car park like a smooth skin, thereby making it an integral part of the complex. On one side it is the university site where the view from the raw interior offers a filtered prospect of the open countryside surrounding it, on the other, there is the view of the long slopes situated beside the inner courtyard that work as blinds to filter the view of the car park.

Based on the idea that silent communication is important in a building where there is hardly any talking, the atmosphere is determined with an emphasis on creating a sense of security. That was essential for the choice of a black interior. A light, shiny floor provides enough reflection of natural or artificial light to illuminate some the million books that are on open shelves, while the long white tables make it possible to read a book or to consult electronic information without too much effort. The individual workplace with full facilities is the key element, and has been positioned in such a way that the user’s choice of a workplace also determines the degree of communication with other users.


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Work area.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Book depots.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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The façade from inside.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Close-up of the double-glazed, black concrete panel.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Construction of the printed glass panels.
Photo: Jan Bitter Fotografie

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Making of the glazed, black concrete panels.

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Making of the glazed, black concrete panels.

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Making of the glazed, black concrete panels.

Absorption versus confrontation, working in a concentrated way versus communication, is the main premises in this library where the infrastructure has more than one function. The route is also programmed by it, since the bar, the lounge area, the reception corner, the auditorium, the desks, all fitted with red rubber and other programs such as shops, add an extra dimension to the route, thereby breaking down the mono-functionality of the library program.



Photo: Ineke Oostveen Wiel Arets Architects
Wiel Arets, born 1955, is a Dutch architect from the Dutch-German border town of Heerlen. After graduating from Eindhoven University in 1983, he established Wiel Arets Architect & Associates in his hometown a year later. In 1996 the office was moved to Maastricht. Bettina Kraus, born 1970 in Nuremberg, joined the firm in 1997 and became partner in 2000; establishing the firm’s second office in Amsterdam during 2004. In 2008, a third branch office was opened in Zürich.

The studio of Wiel Arets Architects investigates and produces space in response to life, the potential of function, the character of place and the nature of material. The studio of has extensive experience in the fields of urbanism, and public, private and utility buildings on every scale. Additionally, the studio develops products for mass production in collaboration with leading design manufacturers.

Wiel Arets has taught and served as visiting professor at some of the world most important universities including the Architectural Academies of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Columbia University and the Cooper Union in New York, the HAK Vienna, and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. From 1995-2002 he was dean of the Berlage Institute Rotterdam, where he also directed the PhD program until 2004. Since 2001 he holds the Berlage chair at the Technical University Delft. In 2004 he accepted professorship at the UDK in Berlin. Bettina Kraus graduated from the TU Stuttgart in 1996, after studying at the ETH Zurich and HDK Berlin, and since 2004 she has been teaching at the UDK Berlin.

Principal projects in the studio’s oeuvre include; Academy of Arts and Architecture in Maastricht (1989–1993), Tower Hoge Heren in Rotterdam (1993–2001), the University Library in Utrecht (1997-2004), and the Euroborg Stadium in Groningen (2004–2006).

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