Luchtbal: changing definitions of modern architecture Part 1

To give an impression of Luchtbal that does the area justice, it is necessary to make a distinction between the oldest part consisting of a garden village that was developed in several building campaigns, the open CIAM-inspired development and the recent alterations. This first part will focus on the garden village that is still remarkably intact, albeit very unloved.

The brick-built terraces of the first building phase have a very characteristic style inspired by brick cubism. The houses all have pitched roofs. The streets in this part of the garden village have no trees, only small front gardens that would have originally all been edged with privet hedges.

The concrete lintels above the windows and doors are moulded to provide an ornamental element within the stark brick facades. The large windows provided air and light for the harbour labourers, as was the aim of the  Society for Affordable Housing who had them built. Here the original privet hedges are still in place as well as the original wooden gates.

This expressive modernist school building has  a design typical of the 1920s with a strong Art Deco inspired massing and detailing. The low brick building was built as the free school for boys and girls between 1926 and 1930. It is still in use as a primary school and kindergarten.

On the edge of the garden village a small park was planted. It sits south of the football fields with which it forms the recreational strip of the harbour suburb. The park is now somewhat neglected and overgrown. This is no surprise as parks from the 1930s were often planted with the half-grown size of trees and shrubs in mind. The central circle of red-leaved maples is a remaining feature.

The secondary school sits alongside the park. The design of this Stedelijke Scholengroep (City Mixed School) is strongly uninfluenced by the Amsterdam School of architecture (a strain of expressive brick modernisme). The building complex by E. van Averbeke was erected between 1931 and '38 and also houses a swimming pool and a public bathhouse.

Some streets feature architecture with vernacular accents, like round door arches, cornerstones and decorative brick buttresses. The corner plots (as seen on the right) were often set aside for corner shops. The corner is emphasised by the greater building height here, perfectly in keeping with Unwinesque design principles.

Some of the terraces were designed with a vernacular reference in mind. The moulded concrete lintels above the doors and windows remain a feature. The roofs are more elaborate in design with dormers and cross gables creating an overall less urban impression. 

In the 1930s the character of the architecture changes towards a lighter and more rural design aesthetic. This beautiful terrace of 4 large family houses is an excellent example. The facade is livened with alternating materials (brick versus render) and colours (yellow, red and white).

Smaller and less ornate housing was also erected. These dwellings are fully rendered, originally in a light ochre. Now though, the owners have painted their facades in various, often bright colours that distract from the unity of the design. The corners have been emphasised by setting back a single house along the lines of Unwinesque design principles.

The semidetached houses (left) are of a more detailed design compared to the terraced housing (right). By introducing high gables at both ends or in the middle of the row of houses some visual interest is created.

On the edges of the garden village the high-rise and middle-rise blocks are clearly visible. The low Darsen-blocks with their brick facades aren't really in keeping with the character of the garden village but have some affinity. the tower blocks and the new buildings differ to much in material, size and colour.