A family’s floorplan

The transformation of the dwelling floorplan according to the family life in the 19th and 20th century

Student report (2023)

Authors

N. Bruurs Architecture and the Built Environment

Contributors

A.J. Oxenaar History, Form & Aesthetics - Architecture and the Built Environment (supervisor 1)
Faculty
Architecture and the Built Environment
Copyright: © 2023 Nikki Bruurs
Social housing Slums Dwelling Floorplan Family life
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Published Date

20-04-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Architecture and the Built Environment

Abstract

The main question of this thesis is: ‘’What impact did family life in the 19th and 20th centuries have on the floorplan of family homes in the Netherlands?’’ In the 19th century, families lived close together in slums, in which housing conditions were poor. Privacy within the family was far away, as living, cooking, etc. were all done in one shared room. After the Housing Act in 1901, workers’ living conditions were improved through better hygiene and more spacious dwellings, in which, according to families’ needs, each function was given its own space and parents, boys and girls were also given separate bedrooms. In the reconstruction after World War II, on the opposite, dwellings were set back to square one with a more open floorplan, just like the slums, with different functions - such as living and cooking - in one space. This involved only more space and the privacy of family members was better incorporated into the floorplans, through separate bedrooms and more living space.