The domestic 1970s
In the 1970s, many architects had had enough of the mass housing construction that was perceived as impersonal and cold according to modernist principles. Architects started building on a small scale. Security, social contact and contact with nature became key concepts. Large parts of Zoetermeer were built in this style: Meerzicht-West, Buytenwegh, De Leyens and Seghwaert.
Many architects were already critical of modernist urban planning and architecture in the 1950s. In the Netherlands, the internationally famous architect Aldo van Eyck was one such person. But it was not until the early 1970s that the tide turned radically. People had to return to nature, in a home and a living environment where not everything looks the same, but which is recognizable and varied.
'Brown and slanted'
Streets and buildings had to exude homeliness. Architects paid close attention to the daily use of a building. For example, houses were given staircases to the front door with space underneath for firewood, spacious carports with a terrace on top, sitting pits, bay windows to the kitchen - to promote meetings et cetera. The houses were given hoods and pitched roofs, often in unusual shapes and in combination with terraces and extensions.
The facades were made of 'warm' brown brick, with wooden parts in dark earth colours. 'Brown and slanted', that is how this movement can be summarised, which is also widely known as 'New frumpiness'.
The 1970s are also the glory days of consultation and resident participation in (urban) design. In the 1970s, urban renewal gets underway in the old inner city districts, where small-scale flourished, partly thanks to large subsidy flows.
Structuralism
The so-called structuralism in architecture is closely related to small-scale construction. The structuralists believed that a building should enable human activities and promote social contacts. Buildings built according to structuralist principles often consist of several smaller units that together form a structure, such as a honeycomb.
Examples
