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Bibliothek der Fachhochschule Eberswalde
(Eberswalde Senior Technical School Library)
Architects: Herzog & de Meuron
Artists: Thomas Ruff
Location and date of execution: Eberswalde, Germany, 1999

The Eberswalde Senior Technical School is divided among a group of buildings all constructed in the XIX century, although differing considerably in size and style. They are located on a roughly rectangular site with a beautiful, old layout of trees and a small river, the Schwärze.

   
Click images to enlarge.

Before the War, this idyllic place was an outstanding forestry engineering training center and now, at the end of the century, it is to recover its former importance. The extension of the library and a new seminar building are important items in the improvement process of the technical school infrastructure.

The two corners of the landscaped block, still unbuilt, suggested themselves for the placement of the two new elements, based on the existing urban structure, with its free layout of different types of buildings. The new library is a simple rectangular construction, with three similar levels for free access libraries. The tables, chairs, and shelves follow a regular, repetitive arrangement. A glassed passway links this new construction to historic building housing work areas for administration staff and book storage.

The external aspect of the building is reminiscent of a warehouse structure formed by three stacked containers. This effect is due to the wide glass grooves that run around the façade which seem to separate the stories between them. A clear, reflection-free daylight enters deeply into the building through these big slashes. The small rectangular openings are arranged in accordance with the individual workplaces and provide views and spatial orientation from the outside.

The prefabricated concrete panels are similar to the glass belts of the groove-windows, and are imprinted by screen printing. The motifs for the prints are based on photos discovered by the artist Thomas Ruff in magazines he has accumulated over the years in his private collection. From this collection he selected the appropriate motifs and arranged them horizontal belts surrounding the façade. The imprint on the entire façade unifies the surface; the differences between concrete and glass seem to be canceled out. A single band of pictures surrounds the inside of the library.