Garden village Watergraafsmeer 
Year of construction: 1923 

In the early 1920s the city of Amsterdam started to build houses for its inhabitants with the lowest incomes. On the edge of the city so-called garden villages featuring single family houses were established. The Haarlem architects J.B. van Lochem and D. Greiner were employed to design the garden villages. 

Experiment
The garden villages were designed to enable their inhabitants to enjoy a lively social life. The 'villages' offered a healthy lifestyle. The best-known garden village is Watergraafsmeer, popularly known as 'Betondorp' (Concrete Village). Betondorp was the first project in Amsterdam in which architects experimented with concrete. The project comprises approximately 2,000 houses. Half of these were constructed in brick, while for the other half ten different concrete systems were used. 

Village Square
The 'village' was built in a star shape around a central area, the 'village square'. All facilities, such as shops and a clubhouse, are located around this square. Narrow streets, gardens and low-rise buildings emphasize the village-like nature. In the northern part of the garden village brick houses were built. J. Gratama and G. Versteeg designed these brick houses. Nowadays, Betondorp is considered a part of the Ring 1920 - 1940.