University Library wins prestigious architecture prize
The University Library (UB) of the UvA has won the Amsterdam Architecture Prize 2026. The jury describes the building as “a powerful and necessary statement.”
The new University Library, designed by MVSA Architects in collaboration with Buro van Stigt, has secured the prestigious Amsterdam Architecture Prize 2026. The jury praised “the way in which quality can continue to be added to the city by connecting existing buildings with new construction.”
Dispute
Particular praise was given to the building’s most striking feature: the canopy spanning the space between the two former hospital buildings. “The glass canopy of the ‘tree (or leaf) of knowledge’ connects the old hospital buildings in a natural and self-evident way,” the jury stated.
The jury report also reflects on the long and difficult road to the project’s completion. For decades, there was debate over where the new library should be located after the Singel building had outgrown its capacity. This was followed by years of disputes over rising costs, demolition plans, and opposition from local residents before construction finally began in 2019. The jury expressed “admiration for the years-long struggle to preserve this national monument and give it a beautiful new purpose,” according to the report.
Oasis of calm
The jury called the building “a powerful and necessary statement” that has preserved an important academic function in the heart of the city centre, on some of Amsterdam’s most valuable real estate. “The library is an oasis of calm that completes the busy inner-city campus,” the jury wrote.
The public jury selected the housing cooperative De Nieuwe Meent, located near Science Park station, as its winner. “The jury sees De Nieuwe Meent as an answer to a city that is becoming harsher and more expensive: an answer rooted in an activist, pioneering community that proves another way is possible,” the report states.
