Flatgebouw, Pieter Zeemanlaan 24

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Introduction

RESIDENTIAL BLOCK, L- or hook-shaped building block from Complex Jeruzalem in the neighbourhood Tuindorp Frankendael, part of a workers' housing complex consisting of terraced duplex dwellings in Amsterdam, built in 1951 from a design of 1947-1949 by the architectural firm Merkelbach & Karsten (later Merkelbach & Elling). Two hook-shaped building blocks each surround a single courtyard.

The building blocks of Jeruzalem are 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, Section Urban Development studied between 1929 and 1948, and especially in the period between late 1947 and late 1948, an ideal plot layout with open building blocks that were to offer a better housing alternative to 19th-century closed building blocks, but also to modern open strip development.

On behalf of the Housing Service the architects B. Merkelbach, Ch.J.F. Karsten (later P.J. Elling) and M. Stam designed an entirely new plot layout in consultation with the Section Urban Development, consisting of two hooks. The nearly four hundred single-family dwellings were executed as duplex dwellings, which doubled the number of dwellings. 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 floor, which could then after a number of years be combined again with a small modification into a normal single-family dwelling with three bedrooms on the upper floor. The duplex dwellings in Tuindorp Frankendael were a premiere in the Netherlands. From a public housing perspective this temporary solution was in the eyes of the many involved more attractive than lowering average dwelling volume.

Description

L-shaped RESIDENTIAL BLOCK with a flat roof executed in system building with a grid of load-bearing concrete posts 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 posts and the originally almost white concrete facade cladding forms an architectural characteristic. The flat roofs are also influenced by this because the building system requires a light roof structure. In particular the image of the front facades shows how compelling but at the same time logically clear the modular system is. The somewhat idiosyncratic slanting projecting canopies above the front doors form actually the only pronounced architectural addition to a design that is thoroughly rational. In Jeruzalem they chose the Dotremont-Ten Bosch building system. 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 be able to benefit from government subsidies for non-traditional building methods. In terms of design and appearance the Dotremont-Ten Bosch system strongly resembles the government-promoted Airey system. Characteristic of the system is that the construction consists of regularly placed concrete posts and beams covered with concrete prefabricated panels. The posts are incorporated in the inner cavity leaf, which gave the dwellings their structural rigidity. The posts in the front and rear facades are provided with recesses into which the ribs of the facade panels must fit. Because these facade panels have fairly large dimensions, accuracy was required in positioning the posts. Furthermore the building package includes concrete beams for the floor above and a layer of beams below the roof made of pumice concrete channel slabs.

The single-family dwellings were not only fairly large, but they were also characterised by a special floor plan that makes the spatial experience pleasant. Unlike what is customary in Dutch housing construction, they did not opt for a two-aisle solution with a living room against one party wall and a corridor with a staircase behind which the kitchen lies against the other party wall. The involvement of Mart Stam led to a more German dwelling type, with two zones separated by a corridor parallel to the outer facades. This offers the possibility of placing the living room along the full width of the rear facade. Due to the rotation of the hooks relative to the north direction, which runs diagonally across the site, the living rooms are alternately oriented southeast and southwest. The small entrance hall, with the fairly steep staircase to the upper floor, the storage, the kitchen and the bathroom are on the other facade. The spatial arrangement of the dwelling is also clearly expressed in the facade image. The rear facades of the strips are rhythmically articulated by the robust brick chimneys which give a strong accent to the party walls. The facade image is further determined by two loggias positioned one above the other against the chimneys and the largely glazed wooden frames for the living room and the large bedroom on the rear side. This frame is positioned on one side against the chimney, a bracket of concrete facade elements, somewhat wider at the top and narrower at the side of the loggias, forms together with the chimneys a striking frame around the frame. The facade surfaces between the chimneys were closed off by a finely detailed eaves line. Thus the designers have been able to compose a quiet but through its strong rhythm nonetheless engaging facade image using simple elements and without any decoration. The oval openings in the sun-facing gable facades enliven the image of the strips. 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 floor which are noticeably high in the facade. The two doors temporarily serve as front doors for the two duplex dwellings, after combining 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.

Evaluation

The L-shaped RESIDENTIAL BLOCK is of general interest as an exemplar of early Reconstruction on grounds of cultural-historical value, architectural and urban history value, ensemble value and urban value. It is a recognisable example of post-war industrialised system building. The experimental character of the urban space of the courtyard plot layout is strengthened by the architecture. The housing complex is also of importance as an example of good cooperation between the designers.