A steel structure with aluminium and corrugated sheet

The Westerdoksbrug, a continuation of Westerdoksdijk, was built in collaboration with Du Croo & Brauns. This Dutch producer of railway materials provided the steel structure for the bridge, which is also one of the most important western entrances to the city. The collaboration with Du Croo & Brauns is typical of the sixties, a period in which new and innovative construction materials were sought.

This innovative use of materials is also evident in the Westerdoks house, which was built in 1960 to a design by Dirk Sterenberg. This functionalist building may lack aesthetic appeal, but the use of a light steel structure and aluminium and corrugated sheet exterior cladding was innovative for its day. The building’s base is clad with concrete tiles, a material that was first introduced in the fifties. (ARCAM/space&matter)