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Opbouw, De [Dut.: ‘construction’].
Dutch association of architects, based in Rotterdam between 1920 and 1940. It was founded on 31 January 1920 by the Rotterdam architect Willem Kromhout as an alternative to the existing group Bouwkunst en Vriendschap; precise details of the establishment of De Opbouw, however, were lost when its archives were destroyed by fire during the German bombing in 1940. Its initial members were Marinus Jan Granpré Molière, a leading figure of the Delft school, Josephus Klijnen (1887–1973), L. Bolle, Alphonsus Siebers (1893–1978), Pieter Verhagen (1882–1950), Leendert Cornelis van der Vlugt, Jaap Gidding (1887–1955), Jacob Jongert, Willem Hendrik Gispen (1890–1981) and J. J. P. Oud. Later they were joined by MART STAM and JOHANNES BERNARDUS VAN LOGHEM, who became chairmen, Cornelis van Eesteren, Willem van Tijen, W. van Gelderen, Piet Zwart, Paul Schuitema (1897–1973) and Theodor Karel van Lohuizen (1890–1956). Binding the members initially was the search for a clearly distinctive position in contrast to that of Amsterdam, the cultural centre. The influence of De Stijl, Nieuwe Bouwen (‘new building’) and a general interest in new ideas about art and architecture played a part, but no manifesto was possible because differences in viewpoints—such as those between Granpré Molière and Oud—were too great. De Opbouw moved to the left politically from the second half of the 1920s, through the influence of Stam and van Loghem. This gradually resulted in some members leaving the group, including Oud and Klijnen. This political orientation became linked with support for functionalist architecture, thus making possible De Opbouw’s merger with the Amsterdam-based ARCHITECTENGROEP DE 8 in 1932. Collective action with Amsterdam was achieved mainly through the periodical De 8 en Opbouw and through participation in CIAM activities, while De Opbouw continued to be active independently in Rotterdam. De Opbouw ceased in 1940, with the German occupation. It held a number of exhibitions of members’ work and twice (1927 and 1935) issued statements about urban planning questions, but its importance was chiefly defined by the work of its members.
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