Wie bouwt? Wibaut! (Wibaut builds!)

Committed to improving the housing situation for the working classes

As alderman of housing, Floor Wibaut (1859-1936) certainly left his mark on the city of Amsterdam. He came to town to commit himself to improve the housing situation for members of the working classes, who were still living in slums at the beginning of the 20th century. With 1901's Woningwet ('Housing Law'), the government created the preconditions needed to arrive at a better housing system, and provided the necessary monies too.

Energy and vision

With enormous energy, vision and assertiveness, alderman Wibaut was the one responsible for creating public housing out of nothing. Wanted were architects with a vision on public housing and the will to build 'palaces for the working classes'. Not every architect had ambitions that fit this profile. However, architects such as Michel de Klerk showed that building for the working classes could very well result in a piece of art.

Housing for the poorest of the poor

During the first decade of the 20th century, Amsterdam's Spaarndammerbuurt saw an extraordinary development. The majority of the building grounds had so far been used by the various housing corporations, who employed different architects (results include the 'Het Schip' and 'Het Zaanhof' buildings). But to the City's dissatisfaction, there was still no housing for the poorest of the poor - those who couldn't afford becoming a member of a housing corporation. And so Wibaut ordered the construction of 3500 apartments, parts of which were built in the Spaarndammerbuurt by the architect KPC de Bazel, who had already made a name for himself.

Fitting location

The exhibition sheds light on Wibaut's role in providing housing for the poor, and fittingly, it takes place in Michel de Klerk's famous public housing building 'Het Schip'.