1968 was a turning point in recent history, a year marked by protests against the war in Vietnam and against the old social hierarchy. That same year, a Dutch architect, Bruno Mertens from the village of Bodegraven, designed a sustainable pavilion for Auroville, a utopian community in India that exists to this day. How he got involved in this project can be reconstructed from his archive. > Read more...

In 1965, Enrico and Luzia Hartsuyker launched Biopolis: a model for a new urban culture. It served as an alternative to the growing urbanisation in the Netherlands since 1945 and the modernistic ideas on separating functions such as living, working and recreation. Compact and flexible, Biopolis is still topical and relevant in terms of sustainable urbanisation. > Read more...

The NAI’s smartphone application UAR is operational in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, followed by The Hague and Utrecht. To that end, another few hundred new documents will have to be selected. An explanation and a tiny preview of the selection. > Read more...

June 2010 | After the June 9 elections, the Netherlands will have a new parliament. A new cabinet will be formed, the colour and composition of which cannot be underestimated in relation to the way urban planning and architecture will be employed for our country’s design. The NAI collection not only shows how individual architects have made our country what it is, but it also reveals the mark that politics has made. > Read more...

November 2009 | The work of traditionalist architect J.F. Berghoef (1903-1994) has again become the subject of research. The NAI has loaned the Johannes Fake Berghoef Archive to the University in order to facilitate and encourage their work. > Read more...

June 2008 | On June 14, the Expo 2008 World Fair is set to start in Zaragoza. It is fifty years since Expo ’58, one of the most spectacular editions of the world fair held in Brussels. A partnership of G. Rietveld, J.H. van den Broek, J.B. Bakema, J. Boks and F.P.J. Peutz specially formed for the occasion was charged with designing the Dutch pavilion. Joost Boks’ archive contains a fantastic series of photos of the pavilion, which was considered the world over as one of the best contributions. > Read more...

June 2008 | Architect Jan Wils (1891-1972) designed the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam for the 1928 Games in the International Modern style influenced by Berlage and Dudok. He received a gold medal for it during the Games. Wils’ archive contains wonderful photographs of the construction and architecture of the stadium. > Read more...

May 2008 | The Faculty of Architecture building at Delft University of Technology was designed by the Van den Broek and Bakema firm of architects and completed in 1970. The fire that raged on 13 May 2008 damaged the building to such an extent that it has to be demolished. In memory of this grand building, NAI presents a series of beautiful drawings taken from the archives of Van den Broek and Bakema. > Read more...

The architect H. Th. Wijdeveld made his name with fantastic, visionary projects. But in the twentieth century, especially during times of war and social upheaval, he was only one among several architects to conceive buildings and spatial plans rooted in a faith in the possibility of a better society and a happier future. > Read more...

One of Henry Moore's most famous works is the 1955 brick relief on the façade of the Rotterdam Bouwcentrum building. The NAI's collection include many of Moore's photographs and letters concerning this work. > Read more...

Team 10 was a group of critical architects from various countries in Europe, who made an important contribution to the discourse on architecture and urban design in the latter half of the 20th century. > Read more...

The company records of Braat are maintained by the NAi Collection. The numerous photos among the records offer a vivid picture of the workers in the factory, the components it produced, and the buildings they were used for. > Read more...

The collection of photographs from the archive of Johan Niegeman (1902-1977) tells its own story: of freezing temperatures, hardship and idealism. > Read more...

The photographs from the archive of Arthur Staal (1907-1993), belong to one of the most extraordinary and beautiful collections of photographs buried in the archives. > Read more...