What is Superdutch?
Superdutch is the collective name for the wave of young Dutch architecture practices that drew international attention from the early 1990s with bold, conceptual and often playful buildings. The term became widely known through the book SuperDutch: New Architecture in the Netherlands by architecture critic Bart Lootsma, published in 2000 by Princeton Architectural Press and Thames & Hudson.
Lootsma profiled twelve practices, among them OMA (Rem Koolhaas), MVRDV, West 8, UNStudio (Ben van Berkel), Mecanoo, Neutelings Riedijk, Wiel Arets, Erick van Egeraat and Koen van Velsen. What linked them was not a fixed formal language but an attitude: Dutch pragmatism combined with radical ideas about programme, density and use of space. Buildings were often designed from a diagram or a clear concept, with stacked functions, cantilevered volumes, sloping planes and unexpected materials.
Well-known examples are the Kunsthal in Rotterdam (OMA, 1992), the Erasmus Bridge (UNStudio, 1996), Schouwburgplein in Rotterdam (West 8, 1996) and the WoZoCo housing in Amsterdam and Villa VPRO in Hilversum (both MVRDV, 1997). When construction output fell sharply after the 2008 financial crisis, the room for such experiments shrank too.
In practice
- Place the period. A building from the 1990s or 2000s with cantilevered blocks, a striking facade colour or stacked functions is often related to this movement.
- Expect unusual details. Experimental designs sometimes use special structures (long spans, cantilevers) and materials. Alterations or renovation call for a structural engineer and knowledge of the original design.
- Respect copyright. The architect holds copyright in the design. Before major changes to an architecturally significant building, consult the architect or owner.
- Go to the source. Lootsma’s book covers projects and background for each practice.
Common mistake: treating Superdutch as one style with fixed features. It is better understood as a generation and a design attitude.
Related terms
- Supermodernism
- Neomodernism
- Deconstructivism
- Postmodernism
- High-tech architecture
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