Amsterdam School

De Dageraad housing estate, P.L.Takstraat in Amsterdam,

1920-23 (Piet Kramer)

"Het Schip" apartment building in Amsterdam, 1917-20 (Michel

de Klerk)

"Het Schip", Zaanstraat

The Amsterdam School (Dutch: Amsterdamse School)

is a style of architecture that arose from 1910 through
about 1930 in the Netherlands. The Amsterdam School
movement is part of international Expressionist architecture, sometimes linked to German Brick Expressionism.

Part of international Expressionist architecture

"De Bijenkorf" department store in The Hague, 1924-26 (Piet

Kramer)

In German Brick Expressionism important expressionist buildings are excluded, such as the famous Einstein
Tower in Potsdam by Erich Mendelsohn (white plaster)
and the Philharmonie in Berlin by Hans Scharoun (yellow facade). These two buildings are related to inter-

national Expressionist architecture. In the international

movement the expressive language of architectural form
is relevant and dierent materials and colours are existing. Further examples of international Expressionist architecture are: the P.L.Takstraat Housing Estate in Am1

DIFFERENT MODERN MOVEMENTS IN THE 1920S

building elements inside and out: decorative masonry,

art glass, wrought ironwork, spires or ladder windows
(with horizontal bars), and integrated architectural sculpture. The aim was to create a total architectural experience, interior and exterior.

2 Dierent Modern Movements in

the 1920s
The Scheepvaarthuis, Amsterdam. Architects: Johan van der
Mey, Michel de Klerk, Piet Kramer

Imbued with socialist ideals, the Amsterdam School style

was often applied to working-class housing estates, local
institutions and schools. For many Dutch towns Hendrik
Berlage designed the new urban schemes, while the architects of the Amsterdam School were responsible for the
buildings. With regard to the architectural style, Michel
de Klerk had a dierent vision than Berlage. In the magazine Bouwkundig Weekblad 45/1916 Michel de Klerk
criticized Berlages recent buildings in the style of Dutch
Traditionalism. In this context, the Stock Exchange by
Berlage of 1905 can be seen as the starting point of Traditionalist architecture. From 1920 to 1930 dierent parallel movements developed in the Netherlands:
Traditionalism (Kropholler, partly Berlage)

Bridge by Johan van der Mey

Expressionism (de Klerk, Kramer)

De Stijl (Rietveld, Oud, van Doesburg with manifesto De Stijl/1917 against the Modern Baroque
of the Amsterdam School)
Rationalism (van Eesteren, van Tijen, Merkelbach
with manifesto De-8/1927 against the Amsterdam
School)
Constructivism (Duiker, van der Vlugt)
The specic Brick-Cubism by Dudok and Berlage.

Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam (1928), designed by Jan Wils

sterdam by Piet Kramer (red brick), the Goetheanum in

Dornach by Rudolf Steiner (grey concrete) and the Casa
Mil in Barcelona by Antoni Gaudi (grey stone). Antoni
Gaudi is often seen as the father of international Expressionist architecture. Its interesting to compare these Expressionist buildings to the work of contemporary architects like Frank Gehry and Santiago Calatrava.
Buildings of the Amsterdam School are characterized
by brick construction with complicated masonry with
a rounded or organic appearance, relatively traditional
massing, and the integration of an elaborate scheme of

The Expressionist architecture of the Amsterdam School

was the most successful style of the 1920s. For many
foreign architects, Amsterdam was the Mecca for new
town extensions. But the Traditionalist movement lasted
longer, until the 1950s, thanks to the so-called Delft
School, represented by Martinus Grampr Molire at
the Delft University of Technology. In the 1960s the
Rationalist movement was dominant. In a well-known
speech, the Dutch Rationalist, Willem van Tijen declared
the Amsterdam School a warning example for architects
(published in Forum 9/1960-61). After the death of Piet
Kramer in 1961, no architectural institution or museum
was interested in his Expressionist work. For that reason,
all his drawings, blueprints and models were burnt.

Origins
School

of

the

Amsterdam

Maristella Casciato, The Amsterdam School, 010

Publishers, Rotterdam 1991

Joseph Buch, A Century of Architecture in The

Netherlands, NAI Publishers, Rotterdam 1995
The Amsterdam School had its origins in the oce
of architect Eduard Cuypers in Amsterdam. Although
Martijn F. Le Coultre, Wendingen 1918-1932, V+K
Cuypers was not a progressive architect himself, he gave
Publishing, Blaricum 2001 [Dutch edition]
his employees plenty of opportunity to develop. The
three leaders of the Amsterdam School Michel de Klerk,
Johan van der Mey and Piet Kramer all worked for
Cuypers until about 1910. In 1905 Amsterdam was the 6 External links
rst city to establish a building code, and the city hired
Johan van der Mey afterwards, in the special position as Media related to Amsterdam School at Wikimedia ComAesthetic Advisor, to bring artistic unity and vision to mons
its built environment.
Van der Meys major commission, the 1912 cooperativecommercial Scheepvaarthuis (Shipping House), is considered the starting point of the movement, and the three
of them collaborated on that building. The most Amsterdam School buildings are found in this city. The
movement and its followers played an important role in
Berlages overall plans for the expansion of Amsterdam.
The most important architects and virtuoso artists of
the Amsterdam School were Michel de Klerk and Piet
Kramer. Other members included Jan Gratama (who
gave it its name), Berend Tobia Boeyinga, P. H. Endt,
H. Th. Wijdeveld, J. F. Staal, C. J. Blaauw, and P.
L. Marnette. The journal Wendingen (Windings or
Changes), published between 1918 and 1931, was the
magazine of the Amsterdam School movement.
After De Klerk died in 1923, the style lost its importance.
The De Bijenkorf Store in the Hague by Piet Kramer
from 1926 is considered to be the last example of classic Amsterdam School Expressionism.
The inuence of the Amsterdam School continued in
the Dutch East Indies, where one of its leading proponents was the pioneering Indonesian architect Liem Bwan
Tjie.[1]

Commentary by Hendrik Wijdeveld

Play media

References

[1] den Dikken, Judy (2002). Liem Bwan Tjie (1891-1966)

Westerse vernieuwing en oosterse traditie. Rotterdam:
STICHTING BONAS. pp. 110. ISBN 90-76643-14-8.

Wim de Wit, The Amsterdam School - Dutch Expressionist Architecture 1915-1930, The MIT Press,
Cambridge Mass. 1983

Archimon
The Amsterdam School museum, located in Het
Schip
Amsterdamse School (in Dutch)
Amsterdam School of architecture outline and pictures
Guided tour + photographs

7 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

7.1

Text

Amsterdam School Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam_School?oldid=667850689 Contributors: Viajero, Robbot, Jfdwol,

Quadell, Neutrality, Markussep, Lockley, Kjlewis, YurikBot, Lauwy, Pip2andahalf, Fnorp, Joel7687, Athinaios, Rhollenton, Dogears,
Neddyseagoon, Igoldste, Mcginnly, Thijs!bot, The Anomebot2, Jvhertum, Pachango, TXiKiBoT, Addbot, Leuk2, Velocitas, Jim1138,
Xqbot, MGA73bot, TobeBot, EmausBot, Look2See1, 1Veertje, BG19bot, BattyBot, Luxorr, KasparBot, Indoarchitect and Anonymous:
11

7.2

Images

File:Amsterdam_Het_Schip_007.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Amsterdam_Het_Schip_007.

JPG License: CC BY 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Janericloebe
File:Amsterdam_PL_Tak_Complex.jpg Source:
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Complex.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Originally from nl.wikipedia; description page is/was here. Original artist: Original
uploader was Aquilo at nl.wikipedia
File:Amsterdam_Scheepvaarthuis_002.JPG
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Scheepvaarthuis_002.JPG License: CC BY 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Janericloebe
File:Brug283.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Brug283.jpg License: Attribution Contributors: het
originele bestand staat hier en wordt hier gebruikt. Original artist: www.bmz.amsterdam.nl
File:Het_schip_zuidgevel_zaanstraat.jpg Source:
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zaanstraat.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Jvhertum
File:Lahayebijenkorf19.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Lahayebijenkorf19.JPG License: CC BY
3.0 Contributors: Picture made by myself, also used on nl.wikipedia Original artist: Fnorp
File:Olstadion.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Olstadion.jpg License: Attribution Contributors: http:
//www.bmz.amsterdam.nl/adam/nl/omd/omd07a.html Original artist: http://www.bmz.amsterdam.nl

7.3

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