Albert Frederik Aalbers was born on December 13, 1897, in Rotterdam, as the youngest child of Theo Aalbers and Johanna Buis. From 1910 to 1918, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and Technical Sciences in Rotterdam, and graduated with honors. He later worked at his father's construction company, N.V. Maatschappij tot het Aannemen van Bouwwerken in Rotterdam.In 1923, Albert formed a partnership with his brother, Theo, who also studied at the academy. They called themselves "Gebroeders Aalbers, Architecten en Aanemers, Rotterdam" (Aalbers Brothers, Architects and Contractors, Rotterdam). Their projects included the design and construction of offices to villas. Generally, the architectural works of Gebroeders Aalbers were influenced by the famous American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.At that time, Dutch architecture was greatly influenced by the expressionist movement due to the popularity of expressionist artists, including the painter Willem de Kooning, who also studied at the same school as Aalbers.In 1924, Aalbers designed the Odeon complex of meeting spaces and residences on Gouvernestraat in Rotterdam, at the request of his father's construction company. Odeon was a four-story building consisting of a banquet hall with a foyer, a cinema and theater, a shop, and a warehouse on the ground floor, with 72 residential units on the upper floors.In 1926, the Aalbers brothers faced difficult times in their work, compounded by frequent disagreements between them. They declared bankruptcy and closed their office.After marrying Anna Marie Philipina Lieuwen in 1928, Aalbers and his wife also went to the Dutch East Indies in search of better opportunities. Initially, he worked at the contractor's office of J. Bennink in Sukabumi, where Theo had previously worked.In 1930, Aalbers moved to Bandung and started working as a freelance architect in the city. Later on, he and his friend, Rijk de Waal, established a new company called Aalbers en De Waal, which had its office in a building on Dagoweg. Aalbers focused on project procurement and led the design department, while De Waal handled business contacts and oversaw construction.These two architects, who were both fluent in the Malay language, actually had very different personalities. Aalbers worked like a madman, constantly smoking and often forgetting to eat. He was fully dedicated to his work and did not want to be disturbed by anyone. He was highly innovative, not just as an architect. He created blueprints for toolshe designed himself, using solar energy as a power source. On the other hand, De Waal was more relaxed and talkative. Source: Het Nieuwe Instituut, A.F. Aalbers-Segaar-Höweler & Boersma (BONAS)