Showing posts with label Holland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holland. Show all posts

05 October 2009

The Hague Colosseum // The Hague // Holland



This Colosseum is a project by Holland based Cepezed Architects. It is an utmost interesting project, since its structure is very similar to that of the ancient Colosseum in Rome. The structure in itself is very simple, but yet very functional for its temporary purpose.

 

Here is a more detailed description of the project from the architects:
Plan for a large temporary theatre on the Malieveld in The Hague, a large strech of lawn measuring over 10 hectare and positioned right along the entrance of the city. The Hague strives to be European Capital of Culture in 2018 and the theatre should function as an important eyecatcher and crowdpuller during this year. The theatre has been assigned by the offices of The Hague Capital of Culture 2018, who in its report Entitled to Culture! published its apparoach to obtain the much desired title. cepezeds theatre fulfills an important role in this approach and is one of the most remarkable proposals. The theatre has been designed as a contemporary version of the Colosseum in Rome, the best-known example of a Flavian amphitheatre, and should be able to accommodate some 5.000 people. The construction is erected out of scaffolding. On the outside, it is covered with a stretched reproduction of famous artist M.C. Escher’s Metamorfosis. Inside, concerts, performances, exhibitions and fairs can take place. On International Day of Peace, singer Bono of Irish pop group U2 should be onstage. The report considers the race to be Capital of Culture 2018 as an approriate opportunity to highten and intensify the cultural participation of the Hague’s population. The city, also the royal seat, has a lot of competition though, amongst others of municipalities like Almere, Utrecht and Maastricht. A final decision on which town will be European Capital of Culture 2018 will not be taken until 2013.

04 September 2009

Petting Farm // Almere // Holland

This sheep stable / petting farm building is designed by the Holland-based 70F Architecture architects. This building won the 2008 World Architecture Festival Award for World's Best Pleasure Building, and is currently nominated for a 2009 World Architecture Award. The petting farm was built solely on sponsored payments, and the building contains stables, a toilet and a small office space.

The exterior is as seen, made of open wooden shutters, which allow the building to constantly be ventilated, thus reducing interior smells that are so common in most stables nowadays. The shutters can be opened manually by need, or even adjusted to open automatically, in such a way that they adjust themselves according to the daytime and the strength of the sunlight exposure. The open facade system is not only sustainable, it is almost pioneering in the agricultural stable building universe.