The Library building is located at the western vertex of the Central Square and corresponds “grosso modo” to an elongated parallelepiped, according to the urbanistic plan. It helps to better define and frame this vast public space against the immense landscape of the lagoon.

Its four storeys are above ground level, three of them being above the square and one below. Its architect, Álvaro Siza Vieira, located the main entrance on the second floor, from an extension of the square’s plane, and also to create a slight ramp allowing direct access from the university campus built according to the original urbanistic plan. This relationship between the various storeys allows more public use of the three upper floors and more private use of the ground floor.

For the user, those three storeys take on a concerted unitary meaning, largely due to the visual relationship, which Álvaro Siza established between them by means of several openings, which allow the natural light to “flow” throught the clerestorey windows on the roof. This one the most significant features of this building. It also interesting to note the various types of openings to the outside located on each floor: the most striking are the horizontal openings through which the landscape of the lagoon can be admired.

On the outside, the building has different aspects according to the layout and the features of the adjacent interiors: the main entrance has a enormous vertical peak, the south-west facade has a “skin” that comes away and undulates, whereas the opposite facade is smoother in its relationship with the inside of the campus.

Furthermore, it should be acknowledged that the whole building is commanded by a desire for order, which divides it into three parts, either along or across the parallelepiped, bringing to mind the work of Louis Kahn. The building also incorporates lessons taken from Alvar Aalto.

Text removed from “Universidade de Aveiro - Trinta Anos de Arquitetura” (Jorge Arroteia, Nuno Portas e Michel Toussant)