Eigen Haard

Eigen haard

The Amsterdam School

"The first years of this century witnessed the birth in Amsterdam of a movement which with its sculptural opulence of form would alter dramatically the appearance of that city. Under the leadership of architects like Wijdeveld, Kramer and De Klerk there evolved an expressionist visual language which under the name of Amsterdam School would create a stir on an international scale. Here, aided by almost 500 illustrations, is a comprehensive survey of many designs produced by the Amsterdam School, including such masterpieces as Van der Mey's Scheepvaarthuis, Berlage's plan for Amsterdam South, Kramer's bridges and De Klerk's De Dageraad and Eigen Haard housing estates. The work also deals with the carvings of Hildo Krop, street furniture, furniture designs and domestic interiors. The extensive bibliography and biographies of the most important architects make this an indispensable work of reference."--

Housing Design and Society in Amsterdam

Winner of the 1999 Spiro Kostof Book Award from the Society of Architectural Historians. During the early 1900s, Amsterdam developed an international reputation as an urban mecca when invigorating reforms gave rise to new residential neighborhoods encircling the city's dispirited nineteenth-century districts. This new housing, built primarily with government subsidy, not only was affordable but also met rigorous standards of urban planning and architectural design. Nancy Stieber explores the social and political developments that fostered this innovation in public housing. Drawing on government records, professional journals, and polemical writings, Stieber examines how government supported large-scale housing projects, how architects like Berlage redefined their role as architects in service to society, and how the housing occupants were affected by public debates about working-class life, the cultural value of housing, and the role of art in society. Stieber emphasizes the tensions involved in making architectural design a social practice while she demonstrates the success of this collective enterprise in bringing about effective social policy and aesthetic progress.