BROEKBAKEMA BACK IN THE DAYS: ON A WORK TRIP

To celebrate 100 years of Broekbakema, the entire team piled into cars for a road trip along our own architectural legacy. From brutalist buildings to forest homes this was a journey full of stories, surprises, karaoke, and currywurst.

A ROAD TRIP FULL OF CONCRETE, BAKES, AND HOMES

No one knew exactly where we were headed. The route remained a secret until each car uploaded a selfie, only then was the next destination revealed. An architectural treasure hunt on wheels.

Our guide? Our very own digital heritage map: a Google Maps map filled with Broekbakema projects. During the trip, we put it to the test, exploring both famous icons and hidden gems. (More on this soon!)

FIRST STOP:

Ede, where the 1970s town hall awaited us. A concrete fortress brutalist, functional, and wonderfully angular. Some call it an architectural masterpiece; others see it as a solid example of a walled building,but it certainly has character. Recently, we explored how to make this building energy-neutral without altering its distinctive appearance.

Next, we headed to Arnhem, to a typical “cross shaped building” that once processed millions of payment orders, designed to perfectly balance functionality and expression: the impressive Postgiro Building. Here, we had coffee and inaugurated “Heel Broekbakema Bakt”—a brunch full of homemade cakes and other baked treats.

MARL: CONCRETE, RESTORATION, AND CURRYWURST

Next stop: Marl (Germany). The town hall—a technical masterpiece with hanging towers—is currently being restored. We were given a tour by the municipality and ended with a group photo that later even appeared in the local newspaper. (View the article here)

In the evening, we drove on for dinner. Everyone expected a fancy restaurant, but we ended up at the “curry-cultural architecture” spot: Rudi’s Currywurst. Naturally, we couldn’t skip this tradition. The atmosphere? Plastic plates, fluorescent lighting, but cozy and the currywurst with fries tasted better than expected.

SLEEPING IN OUR OWN WORK

After this culinary highlight, we continued to the former Sporthuis Centrum, the Vennebos in Hapert. A holiday park designed by our predecessors in the late 1960s. The houses still look just as they did back then: sturdy, simple, and well thought out.

We received a tour from someone who has worked there for over forty years, had a barbecue among the trees, and ended the evening with bowling and karaoke (let’s just say: not everyone sang in tune, but everyone sang with enthusiasm).

THE CIRCLE IS COMPLETE

The next morning, after a short night and lots of coffee, we headed to Weert, where we were warmly welcomed by the Mertens family in their Van den Broek and Bakema home from 1970.

We ate cake, listened to stories about the house, and discovered that one of the sons has now become an architect himself and knows everything about brutalism. The circle was complete.

The journey ended in ’t Hool, a modernist masterpiece from the 1960s: a unique residential area we designed for Philips together with the residents. It is still a place where people live with pride, preserving the original design with love.

We visited four homes, were warmly welcomed everywhere, and concluded: good architecture doesn’t age, it simply lives on.

BACK TO ROTTERDAM

Once back in Rotterdam, we looked back on a trip full of memories, stories, and a touch of currywurst.