Picardy University Center and Library

Venezia, a 54-year-old Italian architect, graduated from the University of Naples in 1970 and is currently a professor of architectural composition in the Tectonic Architecture Workshop at the University of Venice. As a visiting professor, he has taught for a time at Harvard University and the Polytechnic of Lausanne, and from 1979 to 1993 he served as a collaborator with the Municipality of Turin. Many of his built works have been featured in architectural journals, and he has been described as an architect of a distinctive style and sensibility. Here, his design for the Picardy University Center and Library in Amiens is presented.

The land chosen for the construction of the university center and library in the city of Amiens is a vacant and abandoned plot, the remnant of a neighborhood with Gothic architecture that was destroyed in the Second World War and had been used as a temporary parking lot in the shadow of the great Cathedral — nearby yet seemingly distant. The deep gap of the canal along the front delineates the buildings that must be constructed. Water flows through the city of Amiens, transforming it — as the common saying goes — into the "little Venice of Picardy."

The level of the Cathedral is approximately 6.5 meters above the ground level of the project site — a natural feature that has made this otherwise flat area distinctive. In the Cathedral, light enters through the southern windows and exits through the northern ones. A bright green light, reminiscent of the mosses that grow in the shade of the buttresses alongside the Cathedral, has covered the north-facing side of the ground of the project site. Consequently, topography, orientation, and the starting point — these were the elements. The design program followed from there.

The design for these buildings was carried out through a competition in which French architects were also invited to participate. Thirteen architects from various countries were invited to enter the competition. The designers had to meet all the requirements of the detailed urban plan for the university; the site and height restrictions for the two buildings had been specified.

The spaces in the two buildings consist of: a main entrance hall, a cafeteria, a lecture hall, administrative and technical sections, two amphitheaters — one with a capacity of 250 and the other 450 persons (the latter convertible) — a cloakroom, a book lending counter, an information center for cultural activities, a book storage, and a faculty center. The total area of the university center is 17,200 square meters, and the built area of the library is 8,400 square meters.

Respecting the pattern of this historic street and accepting its irregularity in the surrounding environment, while at the same time resolving it internally; creating an internal order based on symmetry; producing a "spectacular" effect grounded in a classical compositional principle — these formed the conceptual foundation of the design.

The two buildings are connected by a projecting concrete beam at the level of the Cathedral, creating a frame for the base of the structure. For the long and straight northern facade, an arcaded passage was designed, separated from the main volume by a very narrow gap. This narrow gap draws light from the south and delivers it to the part of the building that, by virtue of its northern orientation, would otherwise lack ideal lighting — while reflected light from the courtyard-facing spaces illuminates this section further.

Two light wells in the southern facade reveal portions of the two buildings that are partly below ground. Two entrances face one another at the point where the view of the Cathedral — due to the shape of the land parcels — is narrower but more complete. On the lower level, an access zone provides a special and rich view. Finally, the complete continuity of materials and wall structures in the exterior facade has been preserved throughout.

The exterior materials consist of Etruscan rock slabs in the section below the base of the building; Senlis stone together with handmade bricks at the base; bricks covering certain installations; concrete mixed with silite for the projecting beam; and copper sheets for the roof covering.