Amsterdam School

Buildings of the Amsterdam School are characterized by brick construction with complicated masonry with a rounded or organic appearance, relatively traditional massing, and the integration of an elaborate scheme of building elements inside and out: decorative masonry, art glass, wrought ironwork, spires or "ladder" windows (with horizontal bars), and integrated architectural sculpture.

In a well-known speech, the Dutch Rationalist, Willem van Tijen declared the Amsterdam School a warning example for architects (published in Forum 9/1960-61).

The three leaders of the Amsterdam School Michel de Klerk, Johan van der Mey and Piet Kramer all worked for Cuypers until about 1910.

Van der Mey's major commission, the 1912 cooperative-commercial Scheepvaarthuis (Shipping House), is considered the starting point of the movement, and the three of them collaborated on that building.

The influence of the Amsterdam School continued in the Dutch East Indies, where one of its leading proponents was the pioneering Indonesian architect Liem Bwan Tjie.

[1] The Amsterdam School style spread beyond architecture to encompass interior design, with the result that items ranging from furniture and carpets to lamps and clocks were produced.

' Het Schip ' apartment building in Amsterdam , 1917-20 ( Michel de Klerk )
' Het Schip ' apartment building, Zaanstraat
'De Dageraad' housing estate, P.L.Takstraat in Amsterdam , 1920-23 ( Piet Kramer )
' De Bijenkorf ' department store in The Hague , 1924-26 ( Piet Kramer )
The Scheepvaarthuis , Amsterdam. Architects: Johan van der Mey , Michel de Klerk , Piet Kramer
Bridge by Johan van der Mey
Olympic Stadium , Amsterdam (1928), designed by Jan Wils
' Wendingen ' 1918–1932, Dutch architecture and art magazine. Main theme: Expressionist architecture (Amsterdam School, de Klerk , Kramer , Mendelsohn , Finsterlin , Feininger et al.). Movement against ' De Stijl ' in 1917.
Video and commentary by Hendrik Wijdeveld (in Dutch)