Dissertation Defense: Sarah Constant

The Amsterdam School was an artistic and architectural movement active in the Netherlands between 1910 and 1930, known for an excpressionist style that incorporated a playful use of forms and materials, such as undulating brick masonry, ornamental towers, and whimsical sculptures. A rhetorical iconographic analysis of symbolic artifacts throughout exemplary social housing buildings, Het Schip and De Dageraad, highlights the polysemy in Amsterdam School architectural ornamentation. It also presents an opportunity to reassess the contributions of Amsterdam School architecture as social commentary and social activism, thus informing ongoing conversations about affordable housing policy, design, and discourse.