World Libraries: University of Amsterdam Library receives major facelift

The defining decorative element of a library has always been the books themselves. But now as the print books are no longer its core business, institutions ranging from the University of Texas at Austin to ultra-traditional Cushing Academy are tossing their stacks in favor of digital collections. Thus to meet new conditions for book storage and customer service libraries are in need of new designs.

At the University of Amsterdam, Dutch designers Roelof Mulder and Ira Koers converted an existing 27,000-square-foot library into a massive study hall — without any visible books — to accommodate the 1,500 to 2,000 students who visit daily.

Instead of stacks, the place is littered with workspaces. And instead of lending bureaus, it’s got a so-called red room: a space filled with more than 100 plastic red crates, where students can pick up books they requested online. The university’s physical collection is stored in various closed repositories and book depots.

The library won a 2010 Dutch Design Award recently.