Flatgebouw, Daltonstraat 1 A

English translation

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Description

Introduction

RESIDENTIAL BLOCK, rectangular building block from Complex Jeruzalem in the district Tuindorp Frankendael, belonging to a public housing complex consisting of terraced duplex dwellings in Amsterdam, built in 1951 according to a design from 1947-1949 by the architectural firm Merkelbach & Karsten (later Merkelbach & Elling). Two hook-shaped building blocks each surround a single courtyard; in this case it concerns a rectangular building block.

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 the end of 1947 and the end of 1948, an ideal plot division form with open building blocks that were to offer a better housing alternative to the 19th-century closed building blocks, but also to modern open ribbon development.

On behalf of the Housing Service, architects B. Merkelbach, Ch.J.F. Karsten (later P.J. Elling) and M. Stam designed, in consultation with the Urban Development Division, a completely new plot division form, 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 storey, which could then be combined again after a number of years with a minor intervention into a normal single-family dwelling with three bedrooms on the storey. The duplex dwellings in Tuindorp Frankendael were a first in the Netherlands. From a public housing perspective, this temporary solution was considered more attractive by the many parties involved than reducing the average dwelling volume.

Description

Rectangular RESIDENTIAL BLOCK beneath a flat roof executed in system building with a grid of load-bearing concrete columns and facade cladding within a fixed modular system. The appearance is determined to a large extent by the building 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 form an architectural characteristic. The flat roofs are also dictated by this because the building system requires a light roof structure. In particular, the image of the front facades shows how compelling yet at the same time agreeably logical the modular system is. The somewhat eccentric slanted projecting canopies above the front doors form virtually the only pronounced architectural addition to a design that is thoroughly 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 be able to benefit from government subsidies for non-traditional building methods. In terms of design and appearance, the Dotremont-Ten Bosch system resembles the government-promoted Airey system. Characteristic of the system is that the structure consists of regularly positioned concrete columns and beams covered with prefabricated concrete tiles. The columns are incorporated in the inner leaf, which gave the dwellings their structural rigidity. The columns in the front and rear facades are provided with recesses, into which the ribs of the facade plates must fall. Since these facade plates had fairly large dimensions, precision in positioning the columns was required. Furthermore, the building package includes concrete beams for the floor and a beam layer under the roof of pumice concrete channel plates.

The single-family dwellings were not only fairly large, but were also characterised by a special floor plan that makes the spatial experience pleasant. Unlike usual in Dutch housing construction, a two-aisle solution was not chosen, with a living room against one party wall and a corridor with stairs behind which the kitchen lies against the other party wall. The cooperation of Mart Stam resulted in 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 in relation to the north line, which lies diagonally across the planning area, the living rooms are alternately south-east and south-west facing. The small hall, with the fairly steep stairs to the storey, the storage, the kitchen and the bathroom are located 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 the party walls a strong emphasis. The facade image is further determined by two loggias placed above each other against the chimneys and the largely glazed wooden frames for the living room and the large bedroom at the rear. This frame is placed on one side against the chimney; a bracket of concrete facade elements, wider at the top and narrower at the side of the loggias, forms with the chimneys a striking frame around the frame. The facade surfaces between the chimneys were closed off by a finely detailed cornice. Thus the designers succeeded in composing a quiet but nonetheless engaging facade image through its strong rhythm using simple elements and without any decoration. The oval openings in the sun-facing gable ends 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 storey that are conspicuously high in the facade. The two doors temporarily serve as front door for the two duplex dwellings; after combination, the door against the party wall becomes the front door and the other door serves as access to the storage. The downpipes indicate where the party walls are located.

Valuation

The rectangular RESIDENTIAL BLOCK is of general interest as an exemplar of early Reconstruction due to cultural-historical value, architectural and urban design historical value, ensemble value and urban design value. It is a recognisable example of post-war industrialised system building. The experimental character of the urban space of the courtyard plot division is strengthened by the architecture. The housing complex is furthermore of importance as an example of good cooperation between the designers.