Erasmuslaan

Shortly after building the Rietveld Schroder house, Rietveld designed a row of four terrace houses on Erasmuslaan (1931). Erasmuslaan is not a continuation of the ideas of De Stijl, but rather the Niewe Bouwen movement whose large plate glass windows, steel shutters and extensive use of white is typical of Dutch functionalist architecture of the 1930's. Number 9 was designed by Gerritt Rietveld and Truus Schroder and built as a model home within which Rietveld included a number of earlier furniture designs.

The ideals of the functionalist movement to create light, open spaces using standardised industrial materials with views onto lush green gardens are successfully applied to the design of Erasmuuslaan. Like many of the ideas developed by Le Corbusier, the application of these design ideas to projects designed by lesser architects, with insufficient budgets and a lack of consideration of the qualities of space Rietveld achieves in Erasmuslaan is the fault not of the functionalist movement but the poor imitations that followed. The open, light filled spaces, clean detailing, robust materials and plentiful landscaping that characterise the houses on Erasmuslaan are evidence of the potential the Modern Movement had to revolutionise the way people live and the spaces they inhabit.

Schroder House

The Rietveld Schroder House (1924) designed by Gerrit Rietveld is the best example of De Stijl and Rietveld's radical architecture. Located at the end of a street of brick terrace houses which at the time of it's constuction was on the outskirts of Utrecht the building is starkly original.

The facade is distinguished by a series of planes and brightly coloured lines which creates a bold composition and incorporates several balconies. Each component of the facade has it's own distinct colour; flat surfaces are white or shades of grey, doors and window frames are black and linear elements are painted bright primary colours.

The interior is also radically different from other buildings of the time. The interior is a dynamic and operable series of screens and furniture which allows the occupant to adapt the space to various functional requirements. The ground floor contains a kitchen and three bedrooms planned around a central staircase. The upper floor contains the living area and a toilet and bathroom. The open plan living area can be subdivided by a series of sliding and revolving panels to create three distinct rooms or a number of alternative spatial arrangements.

University Library

The University Library (2004) in Utrecht designed by Wiel Arets is a recent addition to the collection of contemporary dutch architecture at Utrecht University. A finely textured black concrete and glass box houses the main library. The interior is characterised by large cavernous spaces which create visual connections between the different floors and study areas. The enormous scale of the voids gives the library a lofty and monumental atmosphere whose predominantly black materiality is imbued with a feeling of seriousness. The study areas are connected by ramps and staircases and provide a range of atmospheres from large and open to small and intimate for people to work in. The silk screen double glazing, textured concrete, white tables and light floor colour create a diffuse natural light within the library.

The library contains a bar, lounge, large reception area and auditorium which are characterised by red rubber finishes and furniture creating a more dynamic and multi-purpose program.

UTRECHT

For a city of it's size Utrecht packs in an enormous amount of culture, history and some of the Netherland's best contemporary architecture. It's compact and beautiful centre is filled with important historical buildings that clearly define it's long history and role as the religious centre of the Netherlands and due to it's geographical location an important centre of trade.

Kunstlinie

The Kunstlinie(2006) designed by Japanese Architects, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, is a theatre located in Almere's city centre. The building is located on the shore of the "Weerwater" lake.

The building contains two large theatres, offices, and a number of ancillary spaces for smaller performances, rehearsals and administration. The planning of the spaces is achieved without the use of corridors or hallways meaning people pass through different spaces and functions to reach their destination. Throughout the building views to the water and various qualities of light are visible through the glass facades. The thinness of detailing that is typical of SANAA's work is noticeable in the Kunstlinie although the materials and detailing were made thicker by the Dutch construction company to satisfy dutch building regulations, satisfy acoustic and thermal insulation requirements and be suitable for the Dutch climate.

The building is a welcome and calming piece of architecture in Almere which exhibits considerably more restraint than it's neighbours. It successfully establishes a stronger relationship with the water and the various lighting effects and reflections that it causes than it does with the new city center.

The interior spaces are minimally detailed and predominantly white. Openings often replace an entire wall and load bearing walls leave the interior largely column free.
The overall impression is one of calm and a constant awareness of the lake, whilst the choice of materials and detailing leaves the spaces colder and more austere than poetic. The full height foyer spaces are impressive and clearly orientate the visitor within the building.

La Defense

The La Defense office complex (2004) designed by UN Studio is a building whose exterior responds to the urban context and plan and visibly different interior facades is created for the office tenants. The planning of two buildings separated by a continuous internal street and courtyards is integrated in both scale and circulation with the urban plan. The silver exterior facade reflects the surrounding context.

The internal facades are clad in glass panels with an integrated multi-coloured foil which changes colour and character depending on the angle of incidence and daylight. The material is amazingly sensitive to light and brightly coloured even on a dull grey day and gives the internal courtyards a unique and bright character.

ALMERE

Located 20 minutes from Amsterdam by train Almere became a municipality in 1984 making it one of the youngest cities in the Netherlands. From the completion of the first house in 1976 Almere has grown rapidly and now has a population of 184,000 citizens. The rapid increase in population and housing left Almere without a comprehensive urban plan or defined centre.

In 1994 OMA was commisioned to develop a masterplan for the centre of Almere. The masterplan and process of implementing the plan, it's ambitions and long list of contributing starchitects has been widely published. The new centre creates a distinct urban hierachy that organises a number of smaller centers that currently provide facilities to their immediate areas and provides a number of functions that Almere was lacking, in particular cultural facilities such as a museum, theatre and library. The scale of the proposed functions facilitates the continued growth and redefinition of the identity of the city.

The masterplan also includes a number of large scale retail spaces that are required for the steadily increasing population and economic growth of Almere. The overall feeling of the new center of Almere is that of a giant shopping mall as the ground floor of the majority of buildings is devoted to retail and an over abundance of signage and advertising. The location of the cultural buildings are either on the periphery or covered by retail and give the city an overwhelming sense of rampant commericialism.

The buidings seem to be competing for attention regardless of whether they contain a shoe shop, a mcdonalds, apartments or a library. The inconsistent style and quality of the architecture creates an identity of a city that is equally inconsistent and confusing and lacks the charm and mix of uses, public and private spaces and diversity of outdoor parks and boulevards that are created from a city that grows slowly over a prolonged period of time.

AMSTERDAM

Arriving at Amsterdam Central Station I walked into the newsagent and asked for a pack of cigarettes, a phone card and some tram tickets in (very rusty) dutch. A cigarette, a phone call and a metro ride later I arrived at Anouk and Johan's apartment on Sarphatistraat.

I am very fond of Amsterdam having lived there for twelve months. A beautiful old European city of canals and tightly packed brick buildings with impossibly steep steps and beautiful windows that also contains some of the best contemporary architecture and urban development that responds to contemporary conditions whilst maintaining the qualities of the old city center.