Up-and-coming architect Michel de Klerk designed an urban block of 102 apartments and one post office, enveloping an existing primary school. The patron of this prominent project was the visionary housing society, Eigen Haard. This “workers’ palace” is now the acknowledged culmination of the design movement known today as the Amsterdam School. One hundred years later, the restoration of this complex has again come to the fore.

The histories and controversies concerning the Amsterdam School are uncovered and reinterpreted, and the genesis and life cycle of the building are brought into focus. The book describes the choices that were made for materials and working methods during the restoration of 2015-2018. Recipes used are described in meticulous detail, from brick to leaded glass and from “lion head” to “cigar”. Few compromises have been made in restoring the integrity of the original image of this complete work of art, an icon of social housing and architecture. This book is abundantly illustrated and written by the very specialists who were leading in this restoration.

Up-and-coming architect Michel de Klerk designed an urban block of 102 apartments and one post office, enveloping an existing primary school. The patron of this prominent project was the visionary housing society, Eigen Haard. This “workers’ palace” is now the acknowledged culmination of the design movement known today as the Amsterdam School. One hundred years later, the restoration of this complex has again come to the fore.

The histories and controversies concerning the Amsterdam School are uncovered and reinterpreted, and the genesis and life cycle of the building are brought into focus. The book describes the choices that were made for materials and working methods during the restoration of 2015-2018. Recipes used are described in meticulous detail, from brick to leaded glass and from “lion head” to “cigar”. Few compromises have been made in restoring the integrity of the original image of this complete work of art, an icon of social housing and architecture. This book is abundantly illustrated and written by the very specialists who were leading in this restoration.