J.J.P. Oud – Kiefhoek

Of the workers’ housing estates designed by J. J. P. Oud, it is the Kiefhoek development which most prominently shows the stylistic features and crystallised forms of Modernism. Wedged in the fabric of Dutch brick buildings as a snow-white inclusion, it is configured along well-defined directions. The winding lines of this high-density development completely fill the area at its disposal, featuring courtyards, plazas and routes between them. Completely simplified, unadorned façades, proportionately articulated with lines of windows, highlight the practicality also manifest in the floor plan. Counteracting the monotony of the dwelling units, however, are carefully placed and well-designed details such as the small rounded-off balcony and the curved, projecting roof of the gateway structure. The Kiefhoek is a mature version of designs offering minimal size, but intimate residential spaces suited for seclusion. The 2-metre-wide front yard, which functions apart from the garden and offers bicycle storage, and the 60 m2 back garden complemented with a coal depot to prevent outside observation are the fruits of precisely calculated dimensions and practicality.