Amsterdam University Library has been selected as one of three finalists in the Utiliteitsbouw (Commercial and institutional buildings) category of the Nationale Staalprijs 2026 (National Steel Award).
At the same time, the project is featured in Bouwen met Staal, highlighting the complex steel structure at the heart of the library’s architecture.
In the heart of Amsterdam’s historic city centre, a steel-and-glass atrium roof connects two nineteenth-century listed buildings. Beneath it, a 23-metre-high steel ‘tree’ forms the centrepiece of the library. Twelve curved columns support study platforms, four staircases and the glazed canopy, creating a complex structural system in which no two connections are identical.
The combination of architectural ambition, structural engineering and detailed steel craftsmanship was an important part of the project’s design. The Bouwen met Staal feature takes a closer look at how this structure was developed and realised.
The University Library Library was commissioned by the University of Amsterdam and designed by MVSA Architects and Buro van Stigt. The structural design for the Tree of Wisdom was developed by Van Rossum & abtWassenaar, steelwork by Buiting Staalbouw, construction by BINX Smartility.
The winner of the Nationale Staalprijs 2026 will be announced during Staalbouwdag 2026!
See all nominees here!
