Portiek

Portiek is a term used in Dutch and Flemish architecture to describe a specific type of entrance or passage in multi-unit buildings. It can refer to either an external sheltered entrance that connects the street with the interior of the building or an internal shared corridor that gives access to multiple dwellings. The term is used in the Netherlands and Belgium and is cognate with portico in English (from Latin porticus).

External portieks are typically a covered porch or colonnade placed on the street facade, sometimes with stairs, a vestibule, mailboxes, or intercoms. Internal portieks are common in larger apartment blocks, a narrow hallway behind the street door that leads to a stairwell or elevator, with doors to the individual flats opening from the corridor.

Historical context: Portieken became widespread in late 19th- and early 20th-century urban housing in the Netherlands and Belgium as a way to organize access to multiple dwellings while preserving privacy and security. The terms portiekwoning and portiekgebouw describe the housing types built around such entrances.

Etymology: The word portiek derives from English portico, from Latin porticus, and shares its sense of a transitional, covered space between public and private domains.