F. van Gool (born 1922), A.N. Oyevaar (1922-2006) and H.W.Chr. Stolle (1924-2006) As a child, architect Frans Jan van Gool felt drawn to modern architecture. After his father leaves the family, he lives with his mother and younger brother in the Bergpolderflat (1932-1934) by W. van Tijen and on the Vroesenlaan in the housing project 'De Eendracht' (1929-1935) to the design of J.H. van den Broek, both in the Blijdorp district of Rotterdam. It encourages him to choose to study civil engineering at the MTS and then seek employment at a modern architectural firm. In 1945 he was hired at the architectural firm of J.A. Brinkman and J.H. van den Broek and enrolled in the Continuing Architecture Education course. Employed by the architectural firm, he makes an important contribution to the famous Lijnbaan project (1952-1956) in Rotterdam, the first car-free shopping complex in Europe. In 1953, he joins the Amsterdam Municipal Housing Service to design housing projects in line with Van Eesteren's 1934 General Expansion Plan of Amsterdam. To spread his wings further, he entered into a partnership with the architects Arnold Numan Oyevaar and Heinrich Wilhelm Christian (Hein) Stolle in 1957. His experience and contacts at the housing service provide him with several commissions, including 1100 houses in the Buikslotermeer area of Amsterdam. The project "Het Breed" (1966-1969) consists of strips of five layers, meandering through the area and connected by air bridges. The houses are located on wide galleries; the facades are almost entirely of glass. Most of the projects, which Van Gool realizes next, are characterized by a powerful form, but generally lead an inconspicuous existence. This applies to projects such as the HEMA department stores in Gouda (1972) and Delft (1973-1975), the Bijenkorf parking garage (1977-1980) in Amsterdam and the office on Overschiestraat in Amsterdam-Slotervaart. An exception is his design for two office villas (1977-1980) on the Weteringschans, opposite the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. On the spot where two characteristic nineteenth-century villas once stood, Van Gool had two buildings erected, consisting of two volumes with diagonal extensions. In the facades, constructed of glazed brick, he stamped 312 almost square windows. Van Gool wants to use contemporary architecture to give a new identity to this site. However, the drastic break with the surroundings led to much criticism and earned the project the nickname "salt and pepper set. Van Gool worked as an independent architect in various partnerships until 1986. In 1986 he was appointed state architect, which position he could only hold until 1988 for health reasons. The Oyevaar Stolle and Van Gool firm later continued under the name Architekten Cie.