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House Sonneveld Rotterdam - Dutch functionalism by Brinkman en Van der Vlugt
Functionalism emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century and had its heyday in the interwar years. Sonneveld House, built between 1929 and 1933, is one of the best-preserved private houses in this style in the Netherlands. Light, air and space were important qualities for Functionalist architects. They strove to create a healthy living environment with abundant fresh air and sunlight for their buildings’ residents and users. The building’s function and the needs of the residents were more important to these architects than the building’s monumentality. They designed efficient and hygienic buildings using modern techniques and materials such as steel and concrete. Functional floor plans with freely divided spaces gave the buildings an open and light appearance, which was reinforced by balconies and terraces. Villa Savoye (1930) at Poissy near Paris can be seen as Le Corbusier’s manifesto because it represents the most radical application of his "five points". The building had a great influence on modernist architecture. All of Le Corbusier’s five points can be found to a lesser or greater degree in Sonneveld House: in the numerous external spaces, the open arrangement of the living room, the bands of windows running the entire length of the façade and the volumes raised on pillars. As in Villa Savoye, in Sonneveld House the servants’ quarters and the garage are on the ground floor with the principal living spaces above.
_DSC4522
House Sonneveld Rotterdam - Dutch functionalism by Brinkman en Van der Vlugt
Functionalism emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century and had its heyday in the interwar years. Sonneveld House, built between 1929 and 1933, is one of the best-preserved private houses in this style in the Netherlands. Light, air and space were important qualities for Functionalist architects. They strove to create a healthy living environment with abundant fresh air and sunlight for their buildings’ residents and users. The building’s function and the needs of the residents were more important to these architects than the building’s monumentality. They designed efficient and hygienic buildings using modern techniques and materials such as steel and concrete. Functional floor plans with freely divided spaces gave the buildings an open and light appearance, which was reinforced by balconies and terraces. Villa Savoye (1930) at Poissy near Paris can be seen as Le Corbusier’s manifesto because it represents the most radical application of his "five points". The building had a great influence on modernist architecture. All of Le Corbusier’s five points can be found to a lesser or greater degree in Sonneveld House: in the numerous external spaces, the open arrangement of the living room, the bands of windows running the entire length of the façade and the volumes raised on pillars. As in Villa Savoye, in Sonneveld House the servants’ quarters and the garage are on the ground floor with the principal living spaces above.