Windmills and Clouds

Continuing with photos shot using the iPhone, here are some images from my latest trip to the Netherlands.

"Cumulus Clouds"

When driving around the countryside of Holland, I always feel like the sky is falling on me.

When in Holland, take photos of windmills, the old....

 

...and the new.

Amsterdam Docklands III

The Whale is located on the Islands of Borneo and Sporenburg at the Eastern Docklands in Amsterdam. This building is designed by Frits van Dongen and is a very prominent and recognizable architecture block in Amsterdam. Inside are 214 apartments, 1100 m2 of office and retail-space, a underground parking garage and a semi-public courtyard which flows through underneath.

Zinc slated facade

More images and information here.

Pinnacle II

Seen in Hoorn, Netherlands

Pinnacle I

Amsterdam Docklands II

Hoop, Leifde, en Fortuin

The apartments of Hoop, Leifde en Fortuin, or Hope, Love and Fortune, is named after 3 windmills situated in the area in the 17th century. It is located on the north side of the Rietlanden district, an area which is a turning point between the city and the Eastern Docklands.

The housing complex was designed by architect Rudy Uytenhaak and consists of overlapping planes coated with different materials, including the black spots near the windows which is an artwork of Willem Oorebeek.

Intrusion II

Intrusion I

Skatepark, Rotterdam

One of the more interesting sites in Rotterdam, Netherlands, is the Skatepark occupying the midsection of Westblaak, a main thoroughfare in the city centre. The public skate facility opened in 2000 and includes 6700m2 comprising of 11 stainless steel obstacles for inline skating, skateboarding and BMX stunts. There is also a green area for relaxing and an on site restaurant.

The most important element of this park is the fact that it was the young skaters of the city who came up with the idea of the park. They also played a key role in the planning and design process of the facility by providing input and knowledge of their needs in such a space.

For more information about the park, please visit their website.

My head is spinning

Amsterdam Docklands I

Apartments Batavia (Cruquius site) by Architect Frits van Dongen of Architekten Cie.

The harbour basins of the Eastern Docklands in Amsterdam have been laid out some 100 years ago. In the second half of the 20th century, the functioning harbour gradually moved to the west of Amsterdam and the area became available for housing. Although much of the harbour structure was preserved, some old buildings got assigned new functions and some new buildings were created. Towards the end of the century the city asked urban designers with an open view for new, unusual possibilities, to plan a new residential district.

Entrepotbrug (Cruquius site)

In 1987, the Cruquius site was the first part of the Docklands to be redeveloped. The city started to develop the district where in the past, you found the cattle market, the slaughterhouse and the municipal customs depot. Other areas developed include the KNSM Island, Java island, Borneo-Sporenbrug, Rietlanden, Ijburg,and Oostelijke Handelskade and Veemkade.

I first visited Ijburg last June. Blog postings then included:

canal living and canal housing

and the Nesciobrug.

More photos portraying the architecture of this area to follow..

To read more about the history and architecture of the Amsterdam Docklands, click here for a very comprehensive and interesting website.

Ready for a dip?

Algae covered canals of Rotterdam so dense that anything floats

Bridges of Amsterdam III - Living Bridges

Entrepotbrug (Entrepot Bridge)

A meandering residential building designed by Atelier PRO and constructed as social housing to accommodate 600 dwellings.

Location and a view of the site from above. Photo by Erwyn van der Meer

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Bridges of Amsterdam II

Pythonbrug or Voetbrug

Constructed in steel ands designed to represent a twisting snake, it is easy to see how this bridge got its' name: the Pythonbrug. The bridge was built in 2001, is located in Oostelijk Havengebied, and connects Sporenburg peninsula with Borneo Island.

Located nearby is another similar red bridge, but built for bikes, it is less steep. Both bridges were designed by the Rotterdam architecture bureau West 8.

Bridges of Amsterdam I

Enneüs Heermabrug

Completed in 2001 and designed by Nicholas Grimshaw. The bridge is made of steel, with a length of 230 meters, a width of 38 meters, and a height of 26 meters. The suspended deck of the bridge serves to carry a traffic road and a light rail (tram) line. It is the main connection between IJburg and the A10 into the main city centre of Amsterdam.

The classic gables of Amsterdam’s canal houses inspired the arches and lateral gables and the wavy patterns refer to water. The segmented appearance is based on the skeleton of a crab. The shallowness of the water at the bridge site made it impossible to use floating cranes to lift the pre-assembled arches of the bridge into position during construction. The problem was solved by using pontoons and crawler cranes. [Source]

Shutterview

And in pink....

These shutters are typical of Dutch architecture. Also, to be seen (shown in the photo below) protruding out from the top of many buildings, especially in Amsterdam, are bars with hooks, specifically used for attaching ropes and hoisting furniture to upper levels through windows.

Paper IV

An attempt to bring the people of Manhattan together in one peaceful form

Paper III

pLAy oF weIgHT

The art of visual heaviness versus physical lightness

(Sculptures are made up of balls of newspaper put together with clear packaging tape)

Paper II

The Holland Paper Biennial, Museum Rijswijk.[Website]

Big and Empty

According to Wikipedia, the definition of a shopping mall is a building or set of buildings that contain a variety of retail units, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit. However, the concept of the fully-enclosed shopping mall did not appear until the 1950s with the development of some of the most major malls in the United States.

An evening spent helping a friend shop for a bed lead us to a stop-over at the Villa Arena Furniture Mall, just outside of Amsterdam.

With a central structure that housed a restaurant and escalators that moved only once they are stepped upon, the furniture mall was a place of innovative design and architecture.

Although I was amazed with the interior design, I was equally disgusted. I could not help but make some observations and question the mentality behind the construction of such a building:

How can this large a space be designed using mostly high cost materials and finishes, to be occupied only by high end furniture stores?

Where are all the shoppers on that Thursday night, the only evening the mall is opened until 21h00?

How does a place like this manage to survive?

How Amsterdam, a city as small as it is, can afford and justify such a wasted use of space purely for consumerism?

Has the Netherlands adopted the concept of the American Shopping Mall in an esthetically pleasing but yet unsuccessful manner?

Country cycle