Kraanspoor Delight

Holland’s blooming tulip fields

These photos of stunningly colourful tulip fields in Lisse, western Netherlands, are a gentle reminder of how nature can sometimes leave us absolutely speechless. Read more

The Magic Seeker

As artists we are consistently working to push the boundaries of what we believe is possible without regard to how we might do it. We are the forever dreamers, the magic seekers, and the alchemists of spirit. Theo Jansen is a kinetic sculptor based in Holland. He is a wind sculptor who has created animals that move with the wind and that inhabit their own beaches near his home. He even has a webcam set up inside his studio so the ultimate peeper can watch him tinker away with his wind driven animals as he utters ‘It’s aliiive!” [see more of Theo Jansen's work]

Floating House

This house has many facets that make it an intriguing example. First of all, it is a very aesthetically pleasing project with the use of light horizontal timbers and a clean pitched roof. Designed by MOS, an interesting design collective based in America, the secret to the Floating House is that it floats on a structure of steel pontoons. The house rises and falls with the changing waters and is frozen in place depending on the season. The steel pontoons were constructed first and towed to the lake outside the contractor’s factory and then the house was built atop of it. When finished it was towed to its position, anchored and enjoyed in its unique position. Finally, it forms a bridge between the land and an island. Wonderful!

Torre Bicentenario

Dutch uber-firm OMA, headed by Rem Koolhaas, has created this concept in Mexico City to symbolize the coming two hundred years of Mexico’s independence. There are many layers of symbolism in this building, from Mayan pyramids to which part of the building controls the park and which part controls the city, to the fact that the bulge of the building is below the centre height, and that it all happens on a relatively small footprint. Most of all, in this building there is a barely contained energy that seems near to release and it may be that this is what Torre Bicentenario represents.

Danish Building Bridge

The Danes are renowned for their considered and subtle design. However, in these times of change, they must feel they need something with this selection of a bridge building as the winner of a recent architectural competition in Denmark. The American architect Steven Holl designed this building with a pedestrian bridge that links two sides of the harbour in the distinctly low-rise Copenhagen. Read more