Fight against housing shortage
In the 1960s, the Netherlands wanted to put an end to the enormous housing shortage at all costs. Thousands of homes were built in rapid succession. Housing construction was large-scale and massive. In Zoetermeer, examples of this large-scale housing construction can be seen in Palenstein, Driemanspolder and Meerzicht.
In the fight against the housing shortage, the government kept a tight rein on construction. The Ministry of Housing granted construction companies that developed cost- and construction-time-saving construction systems extra advantages on the housing market. The input of architects was strongly reduced.
Buildings were built according to modernist principles, but these were now taken to the extreme. Living, working and recreation were separated even more, the space around the buildings became larger and cars were given even more space.
In city districts, very large apartment blocks are dominant, surrounded by greenery of park-like dimensions. There are very spacious parking facilities for cars. The prime example of typical sixties construction is the gallery flat. Horizontal lines dominate thanks to the repetition of galleries and balconies and the visible concrete floor edges in the facade. The abundance of glass and light colours gives the architecture an open and optimistic appearance.
Examples
