Flatgebouw, Lorentzlaan 125

English translation

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Description

Introduction

RESIDENTIAL BLOCK, L- or hook-shaped building block from Complex Jeruzalem in the district Tuindorp Frankendael, part of a public housing complex consisting of terraced duplex dwellings in Amsterdam, built in 1951 based on designs from 1947-1949 by the architectural firm Merkelbach & Karsten (later Merkelbach & Elling). Two hook-shaped building blocks each surround one inner courtyard.

The building blocks of Jeruzalem form part of the urban design for Tuindorp Frankendael, which is an elaboration of the General Extension Plan for Amsterdam from 1935. The Department of Public Works, Urban Development Division, studied between 1929 and 1948, and especially in the period between late 1947 and late 1948, an ideal plot subdivision form with open building blocks that were to offer a better housing alternative to nineteenth-century closed building blocks, but also to modern open linear development.

On behalf of the Housing Service, the architects B. Merkelbach, Ch.J.F. Karsten (later P.J. Elling) and M. Stam, in consultation with the Urban Development Division, developed an entirely new subdivision form, consisting of two hooks. Nearly four hundred single-family dwellings were constructed as duplex dwellings, thereby doubling the number of units. This was an emergency solution to alleviate the post-war housing shortage in the short term. This meant that the architects had to design the dwellings so that they could temporarily function as a ground-floor dwelling and a separate dwelling on the upper storey, which could then be recombined after a number of years with a minor modification back into a normal single-family dwelling with three bedrooms on the upper storey. The duplex dwellings in Tuindorp Frankendael were a first in the Netherlands. From a public housing perspective, this temporary solution was, in the eyes of the many parties involved, more attractive than reducing the average dwelling volume.

Description

L-shaped RESIDENTIAL BLOCK with flat roof executed in system building with a grid of load-bearing concrete columns and facade cladding in a fixed modular system. The appearance is largely determined by the construction method. The housing construction of Jeruzalem was namely executed in system building. The given grid of load-bearing concrete columns and the originally almost white concrete facade cladding forms an architectural characteristic. The flat roofs are also determined by this, since the building system requires a light roof structure. In particular, the image of the front facades shows how compelling but at the same time pleasantly logical the modular system is. The somewhat idiosyncratic sloping canopies projecting above the front doors are essentially the only pronounced architectural addition to a design that is entirely rational. In Jeruzalem, the Dotremont-Ten Bosch building system was chosen. Little is known about this originally Belgian system, called "Skalja". The building system was one of many that were put forward around 1947-1948 to benefit from government subsidies for non-traditional building methods. In terms of conception and appearance, the Dotremont-Ten Bosch system is very similar to the Airey system promoted by the government. Characteristic of the system is that the structure consists of regularly placed concrete columns and beams covered with concrete prefabricated panels. The columns are incorporated in the inner cavity wall, which gave the dwellings their structural rigidity. The columns in the front and rear facades are provided with recesses into which the ridges of the facade panels must fall. Since these facade panels have quite large dimensions, precision in positioning the columns was required. Furthermore, the building package includes concrete beams for the floor slab and a beam layer under the roof of pumice-concrete channel panels.

The single-family dwellings were not only fairly large, but they were also characterised by a particular floor plan that makes the spatial experience pleasant. Unlike what is customary in Dutch housing construction, a two-aisle solution was not chosen with a living room against one party wall and a hallway with staircase behind which the kitchen lies against the other party wall. The collaboration of Mart Stam resulted in a more German dwelling type, with two zones separated by a hallway parallel to the external facades. This makes it possible to place the living room the full width along the rear facade. Due to the rotation of the hooks relative to north, which lies diagonally across the planning area, the living rooms are alternately oriented southeast and southwest. The small hallway, with the fairly steep staircase to the upper storey, the storage, the kitchen and the bathroom are located at the other facade. The spatial arrangement of the dwelling is also clearly expressed in the facade image. The rear facades of the rows are rhythmically articulated by the robust masonry chimneys which give a strong accent to the party walls. The facade image is further determined by two loggias placed one above the other against the chimneys and the largely glazed wooden doors and windows for the living room and the large bedroom at the rear. This door and window unit is placed at one side against the chimney; a hook of concrete facade elements, which is wider at the top and narrower at the side of the loggias, forms with the chimneys a striking frame around the door and window unit. The facade surfaces between the chimneys were closed off by a slender detailed eaves line. Thus the designers, with simple elements and without any decoration, managed to compose a quiet but through its strong rhythm nonetheless captivating facade image. The oval openings in the south-facing end facades enliven the image of the rows. The facades with the front doors have a more closed character, with two doors and a narrow kitchen window on the ground floor and two somewhat wider windows on the upper storey that are noticeably placed high in the facade. The two doors temporarily serve as front doors for the two duplex dwellings; after recombination, the door against the party wall becomes the front door and the other door serves as access to the storage. The rainwater pipes indicate where the party walls are located.

Valuation

The L-shaped RESIDENTIAL BLOCK is of general interest as an exemplary representation of the early Reconstruction period due to cultural-historical value, architectural and urban history value, ensemble value and urban planning value. It is a recognisable example of post-war industrialised system building. The experimental character of the urban space of the courtyard subdivision is reinforced by the architecture. The housing complex is moreover of interest as an example of successful collaboration between the designers.