MA L5 - Schroder House

Here is The Schröder House, which is the emblematic example of the De Stijl architecture. 

Here we can see it in a later realised assonometry, we can already recognise some the characters and some of the features that will be present in the lecture today. It introduces the fundamental ideas of the De Stijl movement. 

A quote from William Curtis from the mandatory reading: "The Schroder House is the first actual building to embody the full range of the De Stijl formal, spatial, and iconographic intentions. Designed by Rietveld as a family dwelling, it is a total work of art that presents a unified form and a consistent expression of the same idea, in which painting, sculpture, architecture, and the practical arts are all fused."

Here we are introduced to the main point of the De Stijl movement. 

Speaking of the De Stijl movement, it's helpful to revisit key points from last week's lecture on Taut's Glass House.

It's important to remember that the pavilion was designed with a spiritual approach to art, aiming to create a specific atmosphere for its visitors. Taut believed that the Glass House could have a positive, spiritual impact, helping guests experience a sense of purification through the transparency of the glass and the play of light. This focus on creating an aesthetic, transformative environment is a key feature that resonates with the ideas of the De Stijl movement.

Here we can see the main points of the De Stijl movement with on the left, Piet Mondrian's Composition with red, yellow, blue and black (1929), and on the right, the main facade of the Schroder House. Through these two images we can already see the parallels and similarities between the two different arts. 

At the beginning of the De Stijl movement, it was essential to start from scratch, leaving behind materialistic perspectives, and instead focus on using basic forms and fundamental ideas.

De Stijl = The style

The De Stijl group was founded in 1917 in Amsterdam. The name of the movement comes from the title of a magazine, which aimed to demonstrate how to design forms in an aesthetic and independent way. It focused on how to work with materials and envisioned a break from historicism and eclecticism (the practice of deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources).   

As mentioned earlier, the group was founded in Amsterdam. It began as a small collective of artists (painters, architects, and poets) with the goal of treating art as a synthesis, bringing together different forms of artistic expression.

The spiritual fathers of the De Stijl movement are Theo Van Doesburg and Mondrian. 

Mondrian, a famous painter whose compositions we've already seen, considered himself a visionary artist. He believed it was his mission to convey the visions he experienced to his viewers. His main goal was to understand the universal principles underlying forms, find them in nature, and express them through his artwork.

These ideas are expressed in the De Stijl Manifesto. The first sentence contrasts the old and the new, emphasizing the creation of a modern art that would reach a higher spiritual meaning, transcending classical representation. Being modern, in this context, meant returning to the fundamentals of art, surpassing national borders and conventions, and connecting with the core structures of the mind.

The modern time was marked by a new spatial conception, leading to a fresh perception of architecture as a combination of masses, spaces, and lines. This shift was made possible through a visual revolution that began in the arts and gradually influenced the spatial expression of architecture.

It was specifically Doesburg and Rietveld who took the abstraction from visual art and translated it into architecture. These buildings, designed as total works of art, were more than just architecture. They combined visual, sculptural, and architectural elements. The abstract qualities were integrated into the forms of everyday use architecture, making art an inherent part of daily life. 

To understand the beginning of the De Stijl, we need to look at Mondrian's abstraction, his approach to art was very influential. 

The idea was that there was a geometric order behind the universal order, and the artist's goal was to understand this. As a spiritually gifted individual, the artist could perceive the inner meaning of forms and translate it into visual art that could be understood by everyday people.

Mondrian's idea was to reveal the abstract and spiritual form and to transmit it to the common man through his works of art.

Here we see two different drawings that present very different levels of abstractisism. 

The top painting "flowing apple tree" we can notice that it is inspired by nature, there is a first level of abstraction but we can still recognise nature, while in the second, there no link to nature and everyday experience. 

Moving on to Theo van Doesburg, the second spiritual father of De Stijl, he was both a painter and an architect. One notable example of his work is the composition titled Counter-Construction, which transforms plans and geometric forms into an axonometric composition. This piece reflects his passion for architecture and his dedication to applying the principles of abstraction to spatial design.

Similar to Mondrian, the geometrical order is a universal principle of art and life, the work of the artist is a social task that must communicate this universal order. The artist promoted universal art as a mean to lead a better daily life. 

The ultimate goal of the artist was to translate social task into a concrete form. 

He worked with the 3 dimensions of space, he added a fourth dimension: time. Time cannot be represented but is thought to be the process, how to experience the composition of geometrical forms by going through it. This links back to architecture, as you can read architecture through time. 

Later on, he would work more in interior design, one of his most famous contributions was the Cafe Aubette in Strasbourg, where he distanced himself from perpendicular lines and introduced diagonal lines, as a new way of translating this abstract form. This distanced him from Mondrian, who did not agree with this technique.

Van Doesburg expanded on the three dimensions of space by introducing a fourth dimension: time. While time cannot be directly represented, it is understood as the process of experiencing geometric compositions by moving through them. This concept ties back to architecture, as architecture is experienced and interpreted over time.

Later, he shifted his focus toward interior design, with one of his most notable works being the Café Aubette in Strasbourg. Here, he broke away from perpendicular lines, introducing diagonal lines as a new way to express abstraction. This approach marked a departure from Mondrian’s principles, leading to a disagreement between the two artists.

One of the earliest attempts to translate De Stijl principles into architecture was a project by Oud in the Netherlands. Although it remained a paper architecture and was never built, it marked a significant experiment in applying the movement’s ideas to architectural design.

Just two years after the foundation of the De Stijl movement. 

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In this corner, where the two volumes intersect, we see an early experiment in translating abstract geometries into 3D forms. The lines of the structure converge into an abstract composition, reflecting a higher underlying order.

The volumes on the left and right are earth-based, strict, and simple, with a somewhat traditional character. This contrasts with the more experimental central part of the building, making it not a complete example of De Stijl architecture.

Another example can be seen in Rotterdam, on the facade of a café, where the principles of abstract composition with geometric planes and figures are evident, creating a 2D image (it does not explore spatial depth). The typography at the top, also designed by Oud, demonstrates how all elements shaping the facade were conceived with the same aesthetic principles. Everything was integrated into a unified, universal geometrical order.

This quote by Oud highlights the key principles of De Stijl architecture. It emphasizes striving for higher ideals through objectivity and complete dedication while maintaining a sense of spirituality. This approach captures the essence of the movement, presenting a visionary way to express space, proportions, and forms. Such is the role of the De Stijl artist.

In 1918, Rietveld joined the group one year after its foundation. He started off his career as a furniture maker and later on found a way to develop his art into architecture. 

Rietveld (1888–1964) grew up in a family of furniture makers and trained in his father’s workshop. He designed the Chair in Red and Blue in 1917/18 and joined the De Stijl group in 1918. Influenced by architects like Taut, Lissitzky, van Doesburg, and Oud, Rietveld’s furniture was integrated into their designs. He later transitioned from furniture making to architecture, with notable works like the redesign of the Cornelis Begeer Jewelry Shop. His work was also published in several journals.

One of Rietveld’s most iconic creations is his Red and Blue Chair, a direct translation of Mondrian’s paintings into a three-dimensional object. The chair employs primary colors to symbolically define its different planes, which appear independent and unconnected, with no visible joints holding them together. The elements seem to float, representing the spatial abstraction of universal order. The yellow sections highlight infinite perpendicular lines, materialized into struts and rails, further emphasizing the chair's connection to universal geometric principles.

This design exemplifies how Rietveld explored spatial ideas on a smaller scale before applying them to architecture. Everyday objects like this chair served as an intermediate step for testing these artistic principles, styles, and spiritual ideas. Crafted as a traditional wooden chair, it transforms into an abstract object, where the use of color enhances its autonomy and abstraction. Each element appears independent yet part of a unified composition, embodying Mondrian’s vision in a tangible, three-dimensional form.

Through the Red and Blue Chair, we transition to the main focus of today’s lesson: the Schroder House, a symbol and the finest expression of the De Stijl group’s principles. This house serves as a three-dimensional counterpart to the Red and Blue Chair, applying similar ideas on an architectural scale.

The Schroder House was designed and built by Rietveld, but it was not solely his work; the project was a collaboration. Despite a short planning period of just seven months, the house was constructed between 1924 and 1925 for Mrs. Schroder.

Since 2000, the Schroder House has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It holds this status because it is an icon of the modern movement in architecture and an outstanding expression of human creative genius. Its design reflects the purity of ideas and concepts developed by the De Stijl movement, making it a landmark in architectural history.

The Schroder House was built by Rietveld for Mrs. Schroder, but its creation cannot be fully understood without acknowledging the contributions of both individuals. Their collaboration was essential to the design and realization of this iconic structure.

Truus Schröder (1889–1985) was raised in a wealthy Catholic family and came from a higher social class than Gerrit Rietveld. Trained as a pharmacist, she had a deep appreciation for art and progressive ideas. In 1911, she married Frits Schröder and had three children, whom she raised with a free and unconventional approach to education, defying the societal norms of the time. This rejection of traditional standards was reflected in her desire for a home that embodied her experimental and modern lifestyle rather than conforming to the expectations of high society.

After her husband's death in 1923, Truus decided to leave the family home and create a new house for herself and her children. She shared a strong bond with her sister An, whose home in Amsterdam was a gathering place for progressive thinkers and artists. Around 1910, Truus met Gerrit Rietveld, a connection that became pivotal. Their shared vision and collaboration led to the creation of the Schroder House, a groundbreaking representation of their progressive ideals and the principles of the De Stijl movement.

Here is a picture of Truus Schröder's family home, a traditional and classical residence reflecting high-society tastes. When she first met Gerrit Rietveld, she allowed him to design a room within this house. Truus requested a space where she could paint, and this room became a striking contrast to the rest of the old-style mansion. It incorporated experimental and primordial elements, showcasing geometrical purity, bold forms, and vibrant colors, standing out as an early expression of the ideas that would later define her collaboration with Rietveld.

Truus Schröder played a key role in the creation of the Schroder House, not just as a client but also as a co-creator. She wanted an unconventional home for her three children that would also provide her with a space to work on her art. Her vision likely inspired some of the house's most revolutionary features, such as the open, flexible "free-plan" layout of the upper floor and the cleverly designed built-in furniture.

This collaboration highlights the significance of Truus's contributions, as noted by Curtis in 1996, who emphasized her importance in shaping the project. When discussing the Schroder House, it’s essential to consider both Rietveld and Schröder as equal contributors to its innovative design.

Rietveld and Schroder first met when she was still living in her family home. Initially, the plan for the Schroder House was to renovate an existing flat, as she had a limited budget. However, after discussing the project with Rietveld, they decided to go beyond the renovation and build a completely new house. This decision evolved into the creation of a new home for Truus Schroder, a single mother with three children.

From the start, Schroder played an active role in the design process, contributing her thoughts on architecture, ideals, and concepts. By 1924, both Rietveld and Schroder were associated with the De Stijl movement and collaborated on writing for various journals focused on architecture and interior design. Over time, their professional relationship grew stronger, leading to further collaboration on architectural plans.

The house was located in Utrecht, where the owner lived and planned to stay until her children grew up. After that, she intended to move back to Amsterdam to pursue her passion for art. Although Utrecht wasn’t considered an experimental city in terms of art or the De Stijl movement, it was an industrial hub, with various industries contributing to the development and growth of the city and its population.

The house was designed on a plot on the outskirts of the city, almost at the edge of the built-up area, bordering the countryside.

Before the construction of the Schroder House, the plot was part of a housing development, with a blank facade marking the end of the housing area. The plot was intended to continue this housing development.

Rietveld’s design for the Schroder House was bold and unlike anything in the existing neighborhood. It broke away from the typical logic of the surrounding housing, responding to the plot in an unexpected and provocative way.

In these historical photos, we can see the sharp contrast between the modern, unconventional house and the traditional neighborhood around it.

The Schroder House, built in 1924, is a relatively small structure, measuring 7x10 meters. While this period saw architects experimenting with new construction materials, Rietveld chose to use traditional brick techniques, similar to those used in nearby houses. The house features iron I-beams, which are highlighted in black and yellow, and wooden windows. Despite the small budget for the project, most of the costs were dedicated to the construction itself, the land, and the installation of the central heating system.

The Schroder House can be seen as a representation of the structure of the universe. Similar to Mondrian’s compositions and the Red and Blue Chair, it develops the idea of how different horizontal and vertical planes align with the universal order, translating this concept into a concrete architectural form.

The exterior walls create a 3D composition, where color plays an important role in enhancing the spatial effect. Bright colors make the elements appear closer, while darker colors make them seem farther away, adding depth to the design.

The facade consists of intersecting slabs, some join to form volumes, but each slab remains recognizable as an individual piece. Instead of stopping where they meet, the slabs extend beyond each other, expressing long geometric elements cut out from the larger universal structure.

Some slabs appear to hover in space, supported by very thin metal structures. These poles and struts are part of a coordinated system, which we can imagine as an x, y, z coordinate grid. They are materialized elements of this universal order, highlighted by the yellow struts, representing an endless space. The building gives the impression of a limitless space, where nothing feels confined or fixed.

The design incorporates key features of modern architecture, including corner glass windows, balconies, and vertical I-profile beams.

The brief for the project was based on Mrs. Schroder's desire for a new way of living. She wanted to be close to her children but didn't want a traditional or conservative home. She preferred to live on the upper floors for more privacy and better natural light. Additionally, she wanted the apartment to be oriented towards the sun, offering more privacy and a connection to nature.

Then it came to the development of the floor plan. Specifically the first floor. We can the night set up, where we can see the different rooms coming together. How the different spaces are divided. We can see the main bedroom is quite small.

What is interesting here is that the walls in red are fully retractable. They allow for two completely different setups, one for the day and one for the night where the rooms are separated, while during the day, the rooms can be fully open. 

This was one of the most innovative aspects of the Schroder House, it was completely experimental and avant-garde, where the layout changed depending on the time of day. At night, the rooms are separated for privacy, while during the day, the space transforms into an open floor plan, with rooms serving different functions for daily life.

This flexible design was requested by Mrs. Schroder, who asked if some walls could be removed. Rietveld responded with a clever engineering solution, creating movable walls that could be folded or adjusted to change the layout of the house for daytime use.

In this axonometric view, we can see the open plan of the house and how the walls are arranged, allowing for nearly a 360-degree view from the upper floor. The design still follows the principles of De Stijl, evident in details like the joints of the balustrade. The geometric order is reflected in every element of the house, with no visible joints, creating the effect of continuous struts and planes. This approach is consistently applied throughout the design of the house.

The house looks like this during the day setup, we can see the folded walls and the railings on the ceilings in different colors, showing their direction.

Moving from the first floor to the ground floor, we see a much more traditional layout. The rooms on this floor are fixed and separate from each other, including a kitchen, dining room, maid’s room, utility closet, studio, reading room, and a toilet.

In contrast, the upper floor features a more open layout with three bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom, all connected as one large open space. The challenge for Rietveld was how to combine these two very different approaches to living (one traditional and divided, the other open and flexible) into a single cohesive design.

Rietveld’s architecture office was built in this house. Every element of the house was designed by him, including the furniture, windows, and technical details. Therefore, the house can be seen as a "total work of art." Inside, we can find Rietveld’s famous furniture, like the Zigzag Chair, and lamps that reflect the three-dimensional space. These objects all incorporate and translate the principles of the De Stijl movement.

In the reading room, every detail is carefully considered, from the small reading tables and drawers to the technical elements. Even the design of the walls and the color of the ceiling were chosen to create a specific atmosphere. Every element is not only designed thoughtfully but also placed deliberately within the space to achieve a cohesive and controlled environment.

In the kitchen, which has access to the garden (highlighting the importance of nature), we can see modern technological features, like a lift to transport food to the upper floor. Despite the low budget, the house was equipped with the latest innovations of the time. The inclusion of these technological elements was particularly important to Mrs. Schroder.

Next, we can see the staircase that connects the two floors. It is illuminated by a large skylight above.

On the ground floor, we can see that the house is equipped with modern technical elements, including heating, water, and electricity, all seamlessly integrated into the design according to the latest standards.

In the living area on the first floor of the house, there’s a key feature of modern architecture: a glass corner. This design uses two sets of windows meeting at a corner, creating a sense of openness to nature. When the windows are opened, it allows the living space to fully connect with the trees outside and changes the lighting inside.

Additionally, every element in the house, including the furniture and technical features, follows the idea of universal order.

The connection to the outside was very important to Mrs. Schroder. She wanted to feel connected to nature and stay aware of what was happening outside. As a result, she wanted the rooms to open up to the outdoors.

This is the daughter’s bedroom, and every element in the room, from the furniture to the layout, is carefully planned. The color scheme and the partition of the floor, with wood and black tiles, are designed according to geometric principles. The floor layout avoids diagonals, sticking strictly to an orthogonal grid. Every element is meant to contribute to creating a geometrically perfect environment, leaving little room for improvisation or unexpected objects.

The slabs, which almost appear to be cantilevered, represent the different balconies and interact with the outside space. The house is designed to focus on the interior first and then extend outward. These slabs create more private rooms separating the inside from the outside. They offer protection and help define the entrance to the house and the office area.

On the upper floor, as we move through the rooms, we can see how the walls are designed as panels that fold into each other, creating a flexible, open space.

The beds shown here have smaller parts that can be rotated, allowing them to transform into sofas.

Throughout the design, there's a clear sense of order, with each element placed in a precise position. The use of colors also highlights this sense of universal order.

This is was it looks like then the walls are open. The bedroom is looking into the living room. 

Here are images of the other rooms, where we can see that the walls are open and the red and blue chair is present. The design still follows a strict orthogonal grid, with right angles and straight lines.

The bathroom on the upper floor is the only enclosed space and can be arranged in two ways. It can either be closed off around the bathtub or opened up into a larger, more squared space.

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YouTube video that shows how the walls are folded together to alter the perception of space.

The house, originally located on the outskirts of the city, is now part of a more urbanized area, as the city has expanded. As a result, the connection to nature and the surrounding environment is no longer the same as Schroder originally intended.

Over the years, the Schroder House has had different functions. For example, the architectural office on the ground floor was later removed to make space for the family of the Schroder’s son. At one point, the house was even used as a Montessori school and an archive. It’s interesting to see how the house, originally designed as a family home, was able to adapt to different functions.

To conclude, the design of the Schroder House reflects both Rietveld’s personal approach to creating space and his own visual ideas, as well as Schroder’s vision of domestic life. The collaboration between these two, combining their professional skills and artistic and social views, resulted in a house that presented a new way of living.