In 1918-1919 Van Doesburg designed the stained glass windows above the doors of the Rotterdam Spangen housing project - blocks I and V designed by the architect J.J.P. Oud.

Even before the launch of De Stijl, van Doesburg had begun to collaborate with architects. In May 1916 he met J.J.P. Oud with whom he established an art club in Leiden. Oud immediately commissioned van Doesburg to produce a stained-glass window for a house he was building. The following year saw the recruitment to De Stijl of Jan Wils and Robert van ‘t Hoff, who both signed its first manifesto. Oud did not sign, perhaps fearing that it might jeopardise his recent appointment as municipal architect in Rotterdam. However, he asked van Doesburg to design stained glass and colour schemes for his mass housing projects in the Spangen district of the city. In 1920 he opened a model apartment there with colour by van Doesburg and furniture by Gerrit Rietveld, who had also joined the group.

It is unknown how many different colour variations were made of Composition VIII, but at least six versions existed.  Two stained glass compositions (Composition VIII and IX) were made for the Spangen District. The last windows were removed from the houses in 1989. Eighteen have been restored, of which six have been donated to the Institute of Cultural Heritage, The Netherlands. Twelve are in private collections having been owned previously by the Rotterdam Housing Association.

National Glass Museum, Leerdam owns three examples of Composition VIII.

Stedelijk Museum de Lakenthal, Leiden owns two examples of Composition VIII and one example of Composition IX.