Functionalism and modernism
Modernism in architecture flourished between 1945 and 1970. In Zoetermeer, modernist buildings are found mainly in the Dorp. The architecture of that era is quiet, sober and light.
Light, air and space
Modernism broke radically with all traditions in building. 'Light, air and space' became the motto in architecture and urban planning. A comfortable, modern home in a healthy, green and open city had to become accessible to everyone. Modern building techniques and materials (concrete, steel) allowed construction on an industrial scale and an end to the housing shortage. Living, working and recreation were separated and buildings placed in collective open spaces, with common entrances such as porches.
The architecture of this period is neat, quiet and sober. Buildings consist mainly of rectangular blocks, covered with a flat or slightly sloping roof. The blocks are one unit.
Residential apartments often have symmetrical facade construction. Offices and churches are more often asymmetrical with alternating components. In residential flats and single-family houses, you often find facades where the same rectangular elements are repeated, with windows and balconies in a tight rhythm. Residential flats are light and transparent because they have remarkably large windows, with thin frames and often light façade colors. It is typically the architecture of an optimistic era.
The small-scale movement of the early 1970s put an end to modernism in housing construction. Offices were still built according to modernist principles until the mid-1980s.
Examples
