E.F. Groosman Ernestinus Florimond (Ernest) Groosman - born in Ovezande in Zeeland in 1917 - was the son of a small contractor. He pursued his architectural education at the MTS in Utrecht. During World War II, he trained at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam and was an employee of the architectural firm of Van Tijen and Maaskant. He was highly regarded by Willem van Tijen for his drawing abilities. For example, the Zuidpleinflat in Rotterdam was drawn by Groosman on Van Tijen's instructions. After World War II, Groosman worked for some time as an architect for defense, designing several barracks, among other things. In 1948, Willem van Tijen helped him establish an independent firm. The reconstruction of the Netherlands and especially Rotterdam was in full swing. However, the building production of Groosman's office only took off properly after the development of the Coignet precast building system for the firm DURA and the MUWI precast building system for the firm Muijs and De Winter. The use of these systems allowed entire residential neighborhoods to be developed and built quickly. Throughout the Netherlands, many residential neighborhoods have been created by the firm Groosman Partners bv in this way, with the stamp. Some examples are: Holy (parts) in Vlaardingen, de Reit in Tilburg, Presikhaaf (parts) in Arnhem, Europawijk in Schalkwijk Haarlem and Tarthorst in Wageningen. In addition to housing and shopping centers, Groosman Partners also designed other buildings. The best known of these are the Ahoy sports complex in Rotterdam-Zuid and the main building of Ahold (Albert Heijn) in Zaandam. Of more recent date is the Beurstoren in Rotterdam. Due to the general economic downturn, the firm went through a difficult period in the early 1970s, but the firm survived. Groosman retired from the firm in the 1980s. His eldest son M. Groosman took over the bureau. E.F. Groosman was active as a director of the Stichting Bevordering Volkskracht and the Steel Construction Society. He served on numerous juries and committees and received several awards, including the European Steel Prize (1985) and the Oeuvre Prize of the Fonds Fonds voor Beeldende Kunst, Vormgeving en Bouwkunst Foundation (1994). Groosman died in 1999. Outside activities: Stichting Bevordering Volkskracht/board member/; Steel Construction Society/board member/. Honors: European Steel Prize/1985; Oeuvre Prize of the Foundation Fonds voor Beeldende Kunst, Vormgeving en Bouwkunst/1994