Functionalism

This term is used in Dutch architectural history between 1925 and 1940, but was never clearly defined. It is not as much a architectural style as more new way of organising construction, meeting new demands for demographic and economic scale. Its supporters held the opinion that traditional construction methods could never keep up with increasing demand for new housing. Functionalism, standardasation and economies of scale were key words. Their solutions were pretty radical. The workers house should no longer be a derivative of the bourgeois villa, but something entirely new. Funtionalists aimed at collective structures, with emphasis on practical lay-outs, comfort and light, in which gardens were traded in for collective facilities like parks, squares and roof gardens. Direct confrontation with the street disappeared and was replaced with a connection with nature and sunlight, by using big windows. Concrete and steel were used to lift the strucures from the ground. Functionalist architects were mainly influenced by Bauhaus and LeCorbusier and united in groups like ‘de 8 en Opbouw’ (named after their magazines with those names). Important representatives were. J.A. Brinkman, B. Bijvoet, J. Duiker, L.C. van der Vlugt, W. van Tijen, J.J. van Loghem and J.J.P. Oud. Rotterdam has many buildings in the functionalist tradition. Already before the war experiments were done. This can be seen in residential projects like Kiefhoek and Witte Dorp by Oud, the Van Nelle factory by Brinkman and Van der Vlugt and the Bergpolder appartment building (1934, first gallery flat in the Netherlands) by Van Tijen, Brinkman & Van der Vlugt. Rotterdam also has a number of villa's by these architects (in Kralingen and near the Museum Park like Villa Sonneveld). After the war the functionalists had their days of glory to put their ideas in to action. . Contrary to the pre-war functionalism now a large variety of materiel and forms is used. Most famous example is the Lijnbaan shopping area (Van de Broek en Bakema), the blocks of flats alongside it (Maaskant) en lots of housing projects in the inner city, Kralingen and on the South Side..  Back