General This advisory committee evolved from the Advisory Committee on Rebuilding in the Flooded Portions of North Holland, established in 1916. The latter committee included Mr. A. Keppler, director of the Housing Service of the municipality of Amsterdam. Together with several other experts in the field, he is among the founders of both advisory committees. The rebuilding advisory committee did not exist for long. In practice, however, it did manage to accomplish a few things, and later writings mention with some pride that the important results of the advisory committee's involvement could still be admired on the island of Marken, among other places. Apparently the provision of this advice was considered important, since the committee members decided to convert the temporary committee into a more permanent institution. Hence the establishment in 1918 of the Advisory Committee for Building Designs and Expansion Plans in North Holland. According to its regulations, the purpose of the Advisory Committee was to provide advice, at the request of the colleges of Mayor and Aldermen in North Holland, on "the maintenance or promotion of beauty in town and country." This could relate to individual building designs, but also to expansion plans. In addition, the committee wanted to work for the inclusion of the so-called welfare provision in the building regulations of the municipalities in North Holland. Around 1927, the committee was pleased to note that 69 of the 129 municipalities had meanwhile followed suit. In the first years of its existence it appeared that the cooperation of the municipalities with the work of the commission was very variable and in many cases more or less accidental. Therefore, on March 15, 1927, a contract was signed with the North Holland Division of the Association of Dutch Municipalities. Based on this contract, municipalities could join the advisory committee for which they paid an annual contribution, based on their population, and an additional contribution per building design, based on the amount of the building sum of the design to be built. From then on, there will be more regularity in the cases handled. Haarlem, December 1984, Hans van Felius.