Ookflevoland

Modern architecture

A modern province should have modern architecture and this becomes evident! When walking through Almere, be constantly surprised by special creations by top architects from both home and abroad. The interesting thing about Rem Koolhaas’s design is that a 'curved ground level’ divides the Stadshart (city heart) into an upper and ground floor. In Almere Buiten, the red residential tower blocks stand out and the houses in the Muziekwijk and Filmwijk in Almere-Stad are displays in their own right. The Eilandenbuurt is a blend of various architectural styles because the occupants were allowed to design their own homes. Lelystad also offers modern architectural fans plenty of wonderful things to see, one example of which is the Centrum voor Kunst en Cultuur 'de Kubus' (‘the Cube’ centre for art and culture), named after the wooden cubic puzzle which was popular in the 1980s; or the flaming orange diamond-shaped Agora theatre in the renewed city heart of Lelystad, the foyers of which are white and pink, the big hall warm red and the small hall dark blue. The Zilverparkkade is a connected row of office buildings with a nod to the canalside houses of Amsterdam. The houses were designed by various architects, which led to diverging styles. Dronten also has many works of art, particular buildings and singularly designed residential areas.
When entering the village of Nagele, the first striking thing is the large central park-like space surrounded by a number of almshouses, which are also located around a park-like space. The village is surrounded by an extensive belt of trees that is becoming increasingly characteristic as the years go by. Nagele is nothing like other villages in the Northeast Polder. In the 1950s, supporters of the Nieuwe Bouwen (New Construction) movement, among whom were Gerrit Rietveld, Mien Ruys and Aldo van Eyck, were allowed carte blanche to realise their plans. There is not a single gabled roof in Nagele!
A city walk is a wonderful way to explore these architectural tours de force. In Almere, go to the Centrum voor Architectuur, Stedenbouw en Landschap (Centre for Architecture, Urban Development and Countryside; CASLa) for various architectural routes and guided tours. The Lelystad city walk is full of history, visual art and architecture. And the ‘Culturele route centrum Dronten’ (Cultural Route through the centre of Dronten) takes in the De Meerpaal, the De Oost residential area and the Vliegersmonument (Pilot Monument).