Architecture

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Young and Adventurous

The Netherlands has an unrivaled claim in Europe of having the richest modernist architectural heritage. The Dutch have a strong social tradition in Architecture and has always had an outstanding reputation in the fields of architecture, construction and spatial planning. Not in the least because its architects and builders have had to deal with long lasting challenges being one of the most densely populated countries - trying to fit16 million people onto a tiny land space of 16,000 square miles and its century long struggle against the sea. Having to think through every design and technique in order to make the most efficient use possible of every limited space was the foundation of a thriving climate for architecture & urban planning.

The rich modernist architectural heritage descends from De Stijl and the International Style and also through the contemporary work from well-known names like Rem Koolhaas and his Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), Ben van Berkel with UN studio, MVRDV and West 8. This new group of Dutch architects have had a tremendous impact on the international thinking about structures.

In the course of Dutch history we can make a distinction by 3 different waves in successful Dutch architecture: The first wave took place during the Golden Age (17th century), the second during the first half of the18th century and the recent era from the ’80 onwards could be seen as the third wave. (The integrity of The Netherlands’ architectural history is exemplified by the nation’s commitment to its historic buildings—the government helps to maintain 50,000 buildings that are currently listed as protected monuments.)

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