Paul Briët

Architect Paul Briët worked at the Hanrath bureau in Hilversum. He continued the firm after Hanrath’s death. The firm was commissioned by Philips in Eindhoven to design and build a large number of projects from the 1920s to the 1950s.

The book documents Briët’s work in Eindhoven, the relationship with the development of the city and the current transformation of several of his buildings that have involved contemporary architects who tell their stories in detail.

Paul Briët’s architecture is put in the spotlight, on one hand from the renewed interest for this kind of historic renovation in a rapidly developing city, and on the other hand because many of these buildings are transformed to a new function, whereby the balance between preservation and change is a significant theme. This book presents both facets of his work; the original quality and the realised transformations. Paul Briët’s granddaughter, Antoinette Briët, took the initiative for this research. Its publication in 2019 coincides with the Briët year at the Noord-Veluwsmuseum in Nunspeet, where Paul Briët’s father was an artist.