middenbouw

Middenbouw is a Dutch architectural term used to describe the middle dwelling in a continuous row of houses, or the central block within an urban housing block. It is typically flanked by corner houses at the ends of the row. The middenbouw contrasts with hoekbouw or hoekwoning, which denote corner units, and in some classifications with eindwoning, the end houses. In practice, middenbouw units are part of a uniform façade line, sharing party walls with adjacent dwellings, and they usually have two or three storeys with a standard four- to five-room layout. The façades of middenbouw dwellings are often less elaborately decorated than those of corner houses, reflecting their secondary position in the composition of the block, while still contributing to the overall rhythm and scale of the street.

Historically, middenbouw became common in the 19th and early 20th centuries during housing expansions in Dutch towns and the growth of the urban middle class. Materials are typically brick with plastered or painted façades; roofs are pitched, sometimes with dormers, preserving a continuous street line. In planning and conservation, middenbouw is significant for its role in the uniformity and efficiency of typical Dutch urban blocks, and individual units may be renovated or subdivided while retaining the external rhythm of the row. See also tussenwoning, hoekwoning, row house, and urban block.