The aim with this project was to bring together the various law libraries at the University of Hamburg and house them in a new extension to the law department building. Conceived as a compact “book tower”, the new structure is linked via a glass atrium to the existing building. Access is via the main foyer of the law department building. Projecting forward along the line of the street, the building redefines the entrance to the campus. Both buildings are connected by means of a lift and staircase in the new atrium, which acts as a climate buffer and forms the main element in the passive energy concept.