Jaap Bakema Study Centre
Structuralism
Dutch Structuralism is one of the most important Dutch contributions to modern architecture in the second half of the twentieth century. This architectural movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s distanced itself from the technocratic planning that guided the post-war reconstruction of the country. It called for attention to the poetic and emotional side of architecture in order to achieve a fully humane living environment. The relationship between spatial configuration and human patterns of use formed a new vocabulary. Many structuralist buildings attempt to achieve a social space that stimulates spontaneous encounters and human interaction.
The archive of Het Nieuwe Instituut contains work by famous as well as lesser known architects belonging to the movement. They include Piet Blom, Theo Bosch, Gert Boon, Paul de Ley, Joop van Stigt, Hans Tupker en Jan Verhoeven. Furthermore, from 2014 onwards Het Nieuwe Instituut acquired the archive of Herman Hertzberger, one of the most important protagonists of structuralism. Structuralism is currently considered ‘young heritage’ and research is being conducted into its cultural-historical value.
Past events
24 November 2021
The Observers Observed
The Jaap Bakema Study Centre conference explores ethnography's influence on architecture. Since the 19th century, archit...
➝ Read more29 November 2018
Support Structures
Céline Condorelli delivered the keynote lecture for _The Irritant Principle of Renewal: 100 Years Aldo & Hannie van Eyck...
➝ Read more28 November 2018 - 30 November 2018
The Irritant Principle of Renewal: 100 years of Aldo & Hannie van Eyck
The 2018 edition of the annual conference of the Jaap Bakema Study Centre is dedicated to Aldo and Hannie van Eyck. In h...
➝ Read more29 June 2017
Studio Rotor: Deconstruction
An exhibition of dismantled building components of the former building of the Ministry of Social Affairs was held _in si...
➝ Read moreNews and publications
2 July 2021
Multiculturalism in Architecture
Architect and researcher Alejandro Campos Uribe explains his project on multiculturalism in post-war architecture, in wh...
➝ Read more31 October 2017
Deconstruction
This publication documents an intensive ten-week workshop programme in which students imagined the potential for reuse o...
➝ Read more30 November 2014
Structuralism: An Installation in Four Acts
The history and the contemporary relevance of Dutch Structuralism were at the center of the publication 'Structuralism: ...
➝ Read more31 March 2013
Open Structures: An Introductory Dossier on Dutch Structuralism
The publication was the outcome of a collaboration between The Berlage, TU Delft, Het Nieuwe Instituut and Volume. It co...
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