What is shake-hands architecture?
Shake-hands architecture (Dutch: shake-hands-architectuur) is a Dutch building style that combines traditional and modern materials and methods: brick walls alongside an exposed reinforced concrete frame, with steel and large areas of glass. It is often described as “the marriage of brick and concrete”: traditionalism and functionalism, bitter rivals between the wars, effectively shake hands.
Origins
The style emerged shortly before the Second World War but flourished during the Dutch post-war reconstruction, when reinforced concrete made fast, large-scale building possible. The term is attributed to architect Jaap Bakema, who used it when discussing the work of Willem van Tijen. It is found in housing, schools, offices, commercial buildings and churches, especially in post-war districts and rebuilt city centres such as Rotterdam.
Features
- Exposed concrete frame of columns, floor edges and lintels, infilled with brickwork
- Brick facades in calm bonds, sometimes with pitched roofs
- Large glazed areas with steel or slim timber windows in a regular rhythm
- Careful detailing such as concrete canopies, access galleries, balconies and integrated art
Application: renovation and energy upgrades
Many of these buildings are now listed or lie in protected areas, so check their status before changing facades, windows or roofs. The same issues apply to post-war modernist buildings in other countries:
- Concrete decay. Exposed concrete elements from this period often have little cover to the reinforcement. Rust stains, fine cracks and spalling point to corroding steel; have it properly repaired rather than just filled.
- Thermal bridges. Continuous floor slabs, balconies and lintels conduct heat outward, causing condensation and mould inside. Any insulation scheme must deal with these edges.
- Internal insulation with care. Where the facade cannot be insulated externally, internal insulation is the fallback; have moisture behaviour and junctions with floors assessed, or you simply move the condensation problem.
- Windows. The slim window profiles define the look. When replacing, choose frames and glazing bars that match the original sightlines and divisions as closely as possible.
Related terms
- Concrete spalling
- Thermal bridge
- Condensation
- Listed building
- Column
- Secondary glazed windows
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