ABSTRACT
The profession of architect can be demanding when faced with the challenges and consequences of disasters, wars and destruction. On the one hand, the architect has to be creative and innovative, like an artist; on the other, their work requires the rationality and efficiency of a scientist. The architect must be an all-rounder, meeting a variety of needs (Eco in Leach 1997). The architects of the 1920s and 1930s responded to these demands in a decidedly eclectic manner. Movements like Bauhaus, Neues Bauen, De Stil and International Style put a strong focus on designing and building social housing. Between the wars, many European countries, especially the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland started large-scale housing projects for the poor and the working class.
