Neorationalism
Economic malaise and a growing aversion to squishiness among architects meant the end of expensive, small-scale architecture in the late 1970s. Architecture and urban planning became rational and functional again. In Zoetermeer, examples of neo-nationalist architecture are found mainly in Seghwaert-Noord, Noordhove and Rokkeveen-Oost.
Designs were the dry result of use requirements, measurable data and the laws of economics. The street pattern became clear and uncluttered again, the building lines and roofscape straight and unbroken. The main forms of the buildings were simple, the floor plans functional and the facades elementary and bare, with windows as tightly repeating holes in the wall. The use of materials and colors also said goodbye to small scale: cool gray-white limestone or concrete brick facades took the place of the "cozy" brown brick. White plastic sheeting, a novelty in those days, increasingly replaced the wooden paneling of yesteryear. This period is mainly characterized by social housing and offices.
Examples
