Traditionalism in architecture

Traditionalist architecture is an architectural movement in Europe since the beginning of the 20th century in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Germany et al. In the Netherlands Traditionalism was a reaction to the Neo-gothic and Neo-renaissance styles by Pierre Cuypers (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam 1885, Centraal Station Amsterdam 1889). One of the first influential buildings of Traditionalism was the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, finished in 1903. Since the 1920s Traditionalist architecture is a parallel movement to Modern architecture (Cubist-, Constructivist- and Expressionist architecture). –

In Dutch architecture, the Traditionalist School was also a reaction against functionalism as well as the expressionism of the Amsterdam School, and meant a revival of rural and national architectural styles and traditions, with tidy, visible brickwork, minimal decoration and “honest” (that is, traditional and natural) materials.

It occurred after the First World War and at its center was, as it was called after 1945, the Delft School, led by Marinus Jan Granpré Molière, professor at the Technical University in Delft from 1924 until 1953. Traditionalism can be seen in many ways as a direct successor to Berlage-type Rationalism.

It was highly influential on church design up after 1945, especially in catholic architecture but gaining influence as well on Protestant architecture just before World War Two, especially on architects like Berend Tobia Boeyinga and Egbert Reitsma. During the reconstruction after the war, its influence on secular architecture reached a peak while its importance for church architecture slowly vanished.

Traditionalism in the 21st Century
In our time, traditionalism proves to be significant in dealing with the historic city. At various historic city centers, use is made of a traditionalist design language, both in the restoration and in new buildings. A typical example of this design can be seen in the Belgian old town of Antwerp . Other Belgian cities, such as Bruges , Ghent or Brussels , use the same principle. The Belgians see their historic city centers as a total work of art . The added traditionalist architecture plays a useful role in enhancing the splendor of historic architecture.

Ninety kilometers north of Antwerp lies the Dutch governmental city of The Hague . The basic idea behind the historic center of The Hague is not the image of a total work of art, but the “end of the historic city”. It is obvious that these opposing views have led to different urban spaces, cityscapes and urban silhouettes. The contrast between the historic centers of Antwerp and The Hague is so great that many feel the need to organize an exchange of views to discuss these and other city models. A symposium for architects and urban planners on the subject of “dealing with the historic city in Europe” could be informative. Illustrations of Antwerp and The Hague are included in the section “Historical City Today – Traditionalism or Generic City”.

Advent of Traditionalism in the Netherlands
From 1925 to 1955 this direction largely determined the architectural education at the Technical University of Delft under the direction of Prof. Marinus Jan Granpré Molière , who is seen as the founder of Delft School (Delftse School). After the supremacy of the Delft School with its negative consequences (because of one-sidedness), traditionalism was for a long time frowned upon and despised by the new avant-garde.

Although Berlage is generally not considered a traditionalist, his architecture style around 1900 (stock market and other buildings) can be seen as the beginning of traditionalism. A student and successor of Berlage was Alexander Kropholler, who developed into a leading traditionalist of the Netherlands. Kropholler was a talented architect, with some expressive, but also a formalistic and exaggerated formal language to prove. It is interesting to note that Kropholler’s sister, Margaret Staal-Kropholler, was a well-known architect within the expressionist Amsterdam School .

Another personality of Dutch traditionalism is the architect Frits Peutz. While he built several traditionalist churches in the 1930s, he also worked at the cubist-constructivist glass palace in Heerlen . After an exemplary restoration in 2003, this building gained further prominence.

Various architects have engaged creatively with Dutch traditionalism. He is an imaginative implementation of traditional forms and spatial concepts in modern times.

The best traditionalist buildings in Europe have not lost their convincing power today. They often contain greater authenticity than buildings from the preceding neo-styles of historicism and eclecticism .

Traditionalism and Urbanism
The importance of traditionalism in 20th century architecture may be less in architecture than in urban planning. The architect and urban planner Berlage designed his urban plans with a traditionalist setting. He has sometimes been resented for not having become a radically modern architect. But Berlage has developed and realized a model town planning that is difficult to beat today. His urban design works flawlessly, even in the social sense. Berlage has designed not only the well-known Amsterdam South, but also neighborhoods in his home The Hague and other cities. Certain Berlage neighborhoods in The Hague are currently threatened by an uncoordinated proliferation of stockpiles. This destroys the city silhouettes developed by Berlage. Cause of this evil is the opinion of city architect Maarten Schmitt, who wrote about Berlage the following: “The structural plan of Berlage is a totally outdated thing. He has had virtually no effect. The respect for Berlage is based more on nostalgia than on real meaning. “The renowned German-speaking author Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani describes the urban planning work of Berlage in his publication The City in the 20th Century with much greater respect.

Traditionalism and Expressionism
Another noteworthy aspect of traditionalism is the sophisticated architectural expertise surrounding Berlage, which positively impacted and influenced the younger generation. This building culture formed the basis for various new architectural trends in the Netherlands, such as the expressionism of the Amsterdam School . The architects Michel de Klerk and Piet Kramer came from Berlage, but also knew Antoni Gaudí and went on. The architects Gaudi, de Klerk, Kramer, Mendelsohn and other German architects were among the pioneers who founded international expressionism. Later known buildings of this kind can be seen in Ronchamp , Bilbao , Sydney , Berlin etc.

Historic City Today – Traditionalism or “Generic City”
For the traditionalists, the urban skyline is seen as an important element of urban planning, with historical cities, villages and settlements as models. The town master builder was responsible for the overall composition, putting the houses, towers, squares, etc. into a harmonious whole. This happened in an ongoing development process. For the traditionalists, the urban or village silhouette determines the overall shape and urban identity. The term composition is today referred to as image direction.

In historic urban planning, another successful concept is the Gridiron Plan with its free urban design infill. Image direction plays a lesser role in this concept. One of the most well-known Gridiron plans is on Manhattan , where no consideration had to be given to a historic city.

The Hague – Historical Center with “Generic City”
The Dutch government center in The Hague is shown as a role model here. It is worth noting because it is related to a current urban development of the 21st century. Because of its national importance, the government center is visited and photographed by many tourists. It is striking that it is often photographed as the visitors would like to see it, d. H. without the newly erected skyscrapers in the background. Today’s appearance is the result of the architectural concept of the well-known Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas , the so-called “Generic City”. The Hague is already being presented as a typical model of the “Generic City” at various international architecture schools. It discusses the question of how the new center of The Hague (a mixture of a significant historical city and the “generic city”) behaves vis-à-vis differently designed cities such as Amsterdam , Paris , Munich or Bern , whose historic centers are “Generic City”. have remained free “.

During the term of office from 1998 to 2009, the aforementioned city master builder of The Hague was strongly influenced by the view of Rem Koolhaas. In his biography ( The Hague – Maarten Schmitt ) he writes about his architectural ideas. By borrowing Koolhaas’ “Generic City” writing, Schmitt formulates his urban credo as follows: “The end of the historic city seems to be perfectly tailored to a city like The Hague.” In addition, the city councilor in charge of urban planning got involved his inspirations in faraway Dubai during study trips. The skyscraper with the sloping tip reminds u. a. to well-known role models in the Middle East .

The American architect Richard Meier also made an important contribution to The Hague in 1986 with the construction of the new townhouse. His design in the city center was designed to preserve the nearby city skyline of the National Government Center.

Antwerp – Historic Center with Traditionalism
As mentioned above, the Belgians see their historic city centers as a total work of art. They point to a relationship between the historic old town and paintings by Rubens or Rembrandt . When these paintings are restored, this is not done in the Mondrian style, but in an adapted traditionalist technique. Translated into architecture and urban planning, this means so much that the following interventions are undesirable in the historic city centers: Cubist architectural style, XL architecture, damage to the silhouettes, unadapted choice of colors and materials. These interventions do not occur at the Belgian city centers or only to a limited extent. The same procedure can also be seen for the Dutch old town of Amsterdam , which has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage series. Amsterdam is aware that the historic center requires a different approach to urban planning than, for example, the grid city of Manhattan .

Muttenz – Integration of architectural styles from different epochs of time
Muttenz is an industrial city east of Basel with 18,000 inhabitants. The here discussed community center from 1970 is located at the church square of the historic village center. The project has long been controversial, both in Homeland Security and in architects circles. Today it is called architectural pioneering achievement. The architect Rolf Keller (in collaboration with Fritz Schwarz) realized at the time that a historical style of architecture often did not fit well with the cubist architectural style of modern architecture. In order to achieve a harmonious ensemble of buildings, requirements for the design were developed “on the basis of a detailed study of the characteristics of the Muttenzer farmhouses” (Google Maps: Muttenz Kirchplatz). Another well-known project of Rolf Keller with other architects is the housing estate ” Seldwyla ” in Zumikon .

At the housing estate Sandberg in Biberach Rolf Keller (1930-1993) had the artistic direction, whereby the manuscripts of various architects are expressed. As for the urban design in Biberach, Keller said: “Analogous to impressive old cities, which seem to be of one piece, here too, on the Sandberg, a harmonious whole should emerge through a few materials (natural red tiled roofs, white plaster, economical use of colors) , Such urban design guidelines are intended to ensure a concise urban space or, in summary, to facilitate diversity in unity. ”

Interesting is the comparison of the architectural forms of Rolf Keller and Rob Krier . While one can speak of a historicizing traditionalism in Krier, the buildings of Rolf Keller give the impression of a modern or contemporary traditionalism.

Source From Wikipedia