The Father of Modern Architecture

  Hendrik Petrus Berlage was born in Amsterdam in 1856. He grew up and attending Zurich Institute of Technology during the 1870’s. While at Zurich Institute of Technology he made one of the most impactful connections he ever made. He connected with Gottfried Semper. This understudy for him may have been the defining moment for him in his career. Today we often regard Berlage as the Father of Modern Architecture. If you take this understudy away from Berlage, we may not know who Berlage is today. You can see the connection in his work even today. When he finished with school, he decided to travel across Europe.

Berlage didn't only gather inspiration for his work from Semper though. Berlage also made a trip to the U.S. where he began to study the works of Henry Hobson Richardson, Louis H. Sullivan, and Frank Lloyd Wright. He mainly focused on their organic forms and woodwork. This trip in 1911 was very impactful as it really began teaching Berlage about materiality. It began teaching him how to use certain materials. He learned the strengths of woodwork along with the weaknesses. He learned the strengths of brick and steel. He really began to immerse himself in the materiality of architecture. This is one reason he became so successful.
Hendrik Berlage has several very famous works of architecture. However, one of them really stands out to me. The Amsterdam Commodities Exchange is a fantastic example of modern architecture.

This building is of such a large scale and was handled with the right mindset. You really start to see a lot less decoration on the exterior compared to the art nouveau movement. The facades are very organized. You can begin to see a grid like pattern with the windows. The exterior is very nice. But, the interior is really where this building shines. The interior has had these large exchange halls. This is where Berlage really begins to show off his knowledge of materials. The combination of the steel and brick work is just amazing.

  
These large exchange halls really make this building what it is. The skylights really help to reinforce his ideas and bring your eyes up towards the steel rafters. Also, notice the minimal decoration. On the trusses you have very minimal decoration there are two small flower like pieces poking off of each truss. Also, the brickwork in this building is just amazing. He uses the brick in many different ways. You can see him forming with brick work. He uses the brickwork to create patterns and voids.
Berlage is the “Father of Modern Architecture”. He really shows it in his work. He did gather inspiration from many architects during his time period. But, he didn’t simply just take their words for it. He developed his own style. It just so happens his style stuck and turned into the world of modern architecture as we know it today.