University of Amsterdam: Special new study spaces in REC-A

The new study places on the island in the entrance hall of building REC-A immediately catch the eye; from this place you have an overview of the space and because of the somewhat noisy environment you can work comfortably together or alone, without disturbing others. In total there are 40 new study places. The tables are round, matching the furniture in the rest of the building.

“The tables are anchored to the floor for fire safety, but can still be used in a versatile way, because of the shape. You can work together with each other by placing the chairs on the inner edge. We also make full use of the space, but in a playful way”, says Marloes van Wagtendonk, Project Manager Innovative Library Learning Spaces within the Library.

The island is located in a noisy traffic area, hence talking and phone calls are allowed. The new places are therefore ideal for working together, but not if you need complete silent in order to study.

Robin van der Meer, Library Location Coordinator on the Roeterseiland Campus: “We are looking for as much diversity as possible in spaces, from large study spaces to smaller rooms, for groups or alone. It’s about meeting the needs of the target group at a specific moment: sometimes students want to concentrate in a quiet room, at other times they want to collaborate and be able to talk aloud, have an online lecture or zoom with fellow students. ”