Matter Makers, AWR and BAZ Studio complete OBA Next Lab, a demountable timber library in Amsterdam
The OBA Next Lab, a 1,175-square-metre temporary timber library and community hub, has been inaugurated in a vacant public square in Amsterdam-Zuidoost. This project, designed collaboratively by Matter Makers, AWR, and BAZ Studio for The Public Library of Amsterdam, includes a library, cinema, café, and event areas arranged around a double-height glass atrium. A pastel-pink 'sitting hill' extends from the atrium into the square, providing seating. Built from 24 prefabricated modules, it is designed for easy reconfiguration with movable furniture. Aimed at a digitally-savvy audience, the initiative emphasizes adaptable knowledge sharing. It follows a pilot project in Sluisbuurt and is expected to have a seven-year lifespan before being dismantled and moved. Photography by Riccardo de Vecchi.
Key facts
- OBA Next Lab is a 1,175-square-metre demountable timber library in Amsterdam-Zuidoost.
- Designed by Matter Makers, AWR and BAZ Studio for The Public Library of Amsterdam.
- Constructed from 24 prefabricated units with dry-fit panels, columns and beams.
- Raised on precast slab foundations to avoid poured concrete.
- Features a stepped pastel-pink 'sitting hill' extending from atrium to square.
- Planned seven-year lifespan, then dismantled and relocated.
- Part of the wider Next Lab initiative, following a pilot in Sluisbuurt.
- Matter Makers founder Antoine van Erp described it as a 'living room for the neighbourhood.'
Entities
Artists
- Antoine van Erp
- Riccardo de Vecchi
Institutions
- Matter Makers
- AWR
- BAZ Studio
- The Public Library of Amsterdam
- AOR Architects
- Assemble
- Dezeen
Locations
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Amsterdam-Zuidoost
- Sluisbuurt
- Helsinki
- Finland
- Becontree Estate
Sources
- Dezeen —