J.P.L. Hendriks - Netherlands

The two free-standing, tower-like office buildings are among the best-known designs of the Dutch architect Frans van Gool and are located in the immediate vicinity of the Rijksmuseum. In their size, volumetry and contour, the buildings refer to the villas that had previously been on the site. The two buildings are located on the border between the canal zone and the 19th century districts. The two elegant office buildings with up to seven storeys have exposed brick facades. The façades are punctuated by a regular pattern of square windows without subdivision. The total of 312 windows with tinted panes are installed flush with the façade. In this way, the physical appearance of the buildings is emphasised. The controversial buildings became known in 1980 during the debate on the aesthetics of functionalist architecture. Local columnists were very negative about the buildings - only over the years had the criticism gradually subsided.
The Dutch architect Johannes Petrus Leonardus Hendriks (27.08.1895 - 08.08.1975) attended evening and day courses at the Academy of Fine Arts and Technical Sciences in Rotterdam after his training at the School of Applied Arts. His study trips in 1920 and 1923 took him to Germany and Italy. Both modernist and traditional influences can be seen in his work. The stylistic influence of Frank Lloyd Wright can be seen particularly well in his early designs.

Der niederländische Architekt Johannes Petrus Leonardus Hendriks (27.08.1895 - 08.08.1975) besuchte nach seiner Ausbildung an der Kunstgewerbeschule die Abend- und Tageskurse an der Akademie für Bildende Künste und Technische Wissenschaften in Rotterdam. Seine Studienreisen in den Jahren 1920 und 1923 führten ihn nach Deutschland und Italien. In seinem Werk lassen sich sowohl modernistische wie auch traditionelle Einflüsse erkennen. Insbesondere in seinen frühen Entwürfen lässt sich der stilistische Einflus von Frank Lloyd Wright gut erkennen.

1937 - 1938  Minervahis I, Rotterdam