On land once part of the Notweg vegetable gardens and
pastures directly adjacent to the railway line to Harlem and Zaandam the two
most famous social housing complexes of the Spaarndammerbuurt were erected: the
Zaanhof complex and the Spaarndammerplantsoen complex with the icon of the
Amsterdam School "Het Schip". The Zaanhof complex is similar to the
complex designed by H.J.M. Wahlenkamp for the Vereeniging tot het Bouwen van Arbeiderswoningen but combines
family houses with apartments around a public garden. The complex is very
eclectic in its plasticity and ornamentation, making it a good example of the expressive
Amsterdam School of architecture. The complex was built for Housing Association
Het Westen between 1918 and 1919 with the reservation for a school on the
central public garden developed for housing in 1934 in the same style.
The outside of the Zaanhof-complex consists of high,
very urban apartment buildings that follow the circumference of the building
plot. To prevent monotony the facades are segmented by vertical accents (here
balconies) and the apparent height is reduced by treating the ground floor
differently and by the use of high roofs with dormers and top gables. In
several placed this wrap-around of apartments is pierced by wide arched
gateways and divided by openings.
The buildings at the heart of the heart of the housing
complex are lower and mostly consist of family houses (left). Large arched
gateways connect the inner public garden to the outer streets. These places
have been emphasised in the architectural treatment with the use of turrets
(right). The balconies with wooden railings are visible to the left of this
"entrance tower".
Turrets are also a feature of the buildings at the
heart of the complex. At either end of the central public space turrets
emphasise the corners, but also seek to signify the gateways here.
The buildings of the inner circle are more colourful
with wooden details painted ochre and white. All trims are ochre which
contrasts very effectively with the rendered white upper portion of the facade
(right). The bigger part of the facades is executed in reddish brick with
contrasting band of darker red bricks (left).
The effect of this colour scheme can be seen in the
long terraces along the public garden. Top gables rendered white break up the
long roof. The shapes are emphasised by the ochre trim. Where two front doors
sit side by side they are placed within a porch with a double arch. To prevent
monotony the roof is raised at a gateway, which also breaks the length of the
roofline.
Only when stood on the pavement looking along the
terraced houses does the length of these rows of houses become apparent (left).
The gateway at the southern end of the inner circle emphasises this special
point (right), but with variations on architecture used for the other houses on
the inner circle.
A triangular green space gives access from the side of
the railway tracks to the inner circle through this gateway. The outer circle
is interrupted here and this special point in the lay-out is emphasised by
protruding stair towers and a building line that is angled inwards towards the
arched gateway. In reality the colour of the brick is red, the bright winter
sun turned them bright orange.
The design devices mentioned before are also employed
for the long facade of the outer ring facing the railway tracks (left). Please
note the semicircular window bay topped by a squared-off protrusion on the
corner that emphasises the corner and the shop that was once here. Two such
villas (shown on the right) were built behind the southern gate. They housed
the overseer and physician.
Standing between the villas the brick turret of The
Ship by De Klerk is clearly visible as the termination of the axis through the
southern gate of the Zaanhof housing complex. Thus linking the two in a spatial
framework. The buildings of the outer circle are embellished with symbolic
sculpture (for instance an eagle for strength and an owl for wisdom).
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