The un-worked stone becomes the polished diamond. The task for the competition consisted of renovating an existing university library from the 70s. Instead of only cutting the existing concrete elements off of the facade, the floors are also trimmed in such a way to create impetuously forward and backward tilting facades. With this simple intervention, the surface of the facade is unified over the entire building height while the inclined angles create strong relations with the surroundings that could not be more different: a small row house, a classicist university building, a city block and a representative theatre.
Despite their differences, these elements are reflected on the surfaces of the facade making the building a part of the environment and likewise, the environment a part of the building. At the constrictions on the east and west side of the library, entrances find their place beneath the protective projections of the new façade. On the inside, one discovers the impressive dimension of the concrete structure that is contrasted by the delicate ornamental pattern of the mechanical systems.