Hortus Bridge

Going back to our berth of the notary boat I worked on today, we sail through the Nieuwe Herengracht and pass different bridges, like this one, the Hortus Bridge ( no 239).
It was designed by a friend of my father, Dirk Sterenberg, who was also an architect. Dirk Sterenberg was a student of the famous Dutch architect and designer Gerrit Rietveld.
Together with sculptor Herman van der Heide (1917-2003) he worked from late '50's repeatedly on various projects in Amsterdam. As Dirk Sterenberg signed for technical and architectural design of several bridges (for example Hortus Bridge, Vaz Dias Bridge and Latjes Bridge over the Nieuwe Herengracht), van der Heide was responsible for the design of the bridge railings.
 
Van der Heide considered that a bridge railing should offer protection but simultaneously should also contain a playful element. The bridge railings consist of openwork abstract-geometric shapes.

My father, Dirk Sterenberg and Herman van der Heide were all members of the "Liga Nieuw Beelden".
The league sought by the founding manifesto for a unity between art and life. They wanted to work on improving the environment where the people live their lives. Color in architecture was seen as important. In 1962 the focus shifted from the building to the urban space.
At its peak, the association had 361 members.
The league was disbanded in 1969.