This summer Stroom organizes an exposition as part of a two year curriculum titled Foodprint in order to study the relation between food and the city. If you understand Dutch you can read more at Stroom’s blog Foodprint and here is their Dutch blog’s summary of the exhibition. The exhibition will run until August 23, 2009.
At the exhibition Joep, who recently sold some work – including his version of a pod hotel – to Brat Pitt at Art Basel, has reversed the “normal” slaughterhouse where pigs are slaughtered to feed the humans. He installed a slaughterhouse where humans are slaughtered to feed the pigs. A mirror for the pork eaters among us.
The photo is by Eveline van Egdom. I will certainly visit it to make some photos myself.
Two Dutch University Teams have unveiled their new solar cars for the 2009 Australian World Solar Challenge (the 10th Challenge).
The WSC runs over 3,000 km from Darwin in North Australia to Adelaide in South Australia. The start will be on October 25, 2009.
Nuon Solar Team of TU Delft
The Nuon Solar Team consisting of 14 undergraduates from TU (Technical University) Delft, led by coach Wubbo Ockels, the only Dutch Astronaut, here left on the photo, have unveiled their entry for the unofficial world championship for solar cars. Nuna5 is ready for the team’s 5th title!
As the Nuon Solar Team has won 4 prior editions, their competitors will be putting every effort in beating them in this challenge. At first glance it seems that the Nuna5 is a further development of proven technology as could be found in its predecessor Nuna4
Twente University Solar Car Team
Twente University Solar Car Team Solar Team Twente will probably be one of the closest competitors of the Nuon Solar Car Team. Here is a video animation of it’s 2009 solar car:
They have refined two innovations of their former model: The cantilever wing design that enables them to turn the wing with solar cells to the sun and the Fresnel lenses to get more sun rays on the solar cells.
Some WSC History
To me it seems very odd that the “Official WSC Site” gives hardly any information about the 2009 edition.
The event evolved from an experiment by Danish-born adventurer Hans Tholstrup who, sponsored by BP, designed the world’s first solar car, called Quiet Achiever, in which he completed the BP Solar Trek, traversing the 4052 km (2,518 miles) between Sydney and Perth in 20 days. That was the precursor of the World Solar Challenge originally held every three years to one held every two years.
After the 4th race Hans Tholstrup sold the rights to the state of South Australia (source World Solar Challenge Wiki).
Results from the former editions:
1987
1st Place General Motors “Sunraycer” (USA) average speed 66.9 Km/h
2nd Place Ford Australia “Sunchaser” (AUS) average speed 44.48 Km/h
3rd Place Biel College of Engineering (CH) average speed 42.93 Km/h
1990
1st Place Biel College of Engineering (CH) average speed 65.18 Km/h
2nd Place Honda “Dream” (Japan) average speed 54.67 Km/h
3rd Place University of Michigan (USA) average Speed 52.53 Km/h
1993
1st Place Honda “Dream” (Japan) average Speed 84.96 Km/h
2nd Place Biel College of Engineering (CH) average speed 78.27 Km/h
3rd Place Kyocera “Son of Sun” (Japan) average speed 70.76 Km/h
1996
1st Place Honda “Dream II” (Japan) average speed 89.76 Km/h
2nd Place United High Schools of Biel (CH) average speed 86 Km/h
3rd Place Aisin Seiki “Aisol III” average speed 80.7 Km/h
1999
1st Place Aurora “Aurora 101” (AUS) average speed 72.96 Km/h
2nd Place Queens university “Radiance” (CAN) average speed 72.17 Km/h
3rd Place University of Queensland “Sunshark” (AUS) average speed 71.68 Km/h
2001
1st Place Nuna “Alpha Centauri” (NL) average speed 91.81 Km/h
2nd Place Aurora “Aurora 101” (AUS) average speed 90.26 Km/h
3rd Place University of Michigan (USA) average speed average speed 87.37 Km/h
2003
1st Place Nuon “Nuna II” (NL) average speed 97.02 Km/h
2nd Place Aurora “Aurora 101” (AUS) average speed 91.90 Km/h
3rd Place MIT “Tesseract” (USA) average speed 90.20 Km/h
2005
1st Place Nuon “Nuna III” (NL) average speed 102.75 Km/h
2nd Place Aurora “Aurora 101” (AUS) average speed 92.03 Km/h
3rd Place University of Michigan “Momentum” (USA) average speed 90.03 Km/h
2007 (NB lower average speeds due to 25% smaller solar panels)
1st Place Nuon “Nuna 4” (NL) average speed 90.87 Km/h
2nd Place Umicore “Umicar Infinity” (Belgium) average speed 88.05 Km/h
3rd Place Aurora “Aurora 101” (Australia) average speed 85 Km/h
A New Name: Global Green Challenge:
Ah….It turns out there is a new site and a new name on the block which gives much more information: The Global Green Challenge. Apparently the event has evolved. This is the new logo:
I believe that all parties involved have a task in bettering their communication. Teams involved communicate in their local languages and there are many loose ends.
Qrooz 01 against the background of Dutch architect Ben van Berkel’s Rotterdam “Swan Bridge”.
In my youth I have extensively traveled the many canals, rivers and lakes of The Netherlands with a 1890 built barge that my dad had converted in a moving house boat in 1960. Many people did that in the 50ies and 60ies with barges that were put out of commission and were not scrapped by generous scrapping subsidies, because road traffic became more fashionable in those years than transport over water. As a student we even hauled motor yachts from the Mediterranean through France and Germany to The Netherlands. I say a moving house boat, because it it moved more like a crab than it sailed. Comfort was Spartan. Only cold water and no shower. In the first years even no heating. But we had a lot of fun wit it. I learned from it that The Netherlands can be best viewed from its waters.
In 2001 we sold the barge, named Vrouw Holle, to an Englishman who after an extensive renovation is now underway with it somewhere in Europe.
Later on with friends and with my current small fast motorboat Haagsch Schuim I have traveled much longer distances.
I must admit I sometimes do envy the current owner of Vrouw Holle and dream of having my own sailing house again. Never necessary to be in one place for long. Always possible to adapt your neighborhood to your mood. Do you want to be fashionable? Moor in Amsterdam, London, Paris or in Berlin all cities that are navigable. Do you want peacel? Seek a mooring place somewhere in a remote place like one of Finland’s 1000 lakes. Much more freedom on the water than when camping on land. And rather than carrying around all sort of stuff to your second home, caravan or yacht, you have your home with you: Ideal!
The same dream did 5 Dutchman*) set out to develop the Qrooz which is a combination of a house a boat and a lounge.
One of the 5: Dutch industrial designer Huibert Groenendijk who also designed the Roterdam watertaxi:
Although he probably wants to forget about it, Huibert also designed a motor yacht version of the Rotterdam Watertaxi:
The V Tesse or the Blu V-Tesse that sadly disappeared from the market.
Back to the Qrooz, a design that seems to work as 2 Qroozes have been launched till today and number one has cruised the European waters extensively already.
It has an enormous living space. It comes in Mini, Large and XL sizes and the prices range from Euro 464,000.- onward. (yes you probably have to sell your house to afford it:-)
*) The 5 are:
Arno Schuurs: Initiative
Huibert Groenendijk: Initial design
Peter Bosgraaf: Naval Design
Casper Helldorfer: Building
Sander Doves: Partner
No, this has nothing to do with a diaper- or hair pin, although it looks like it.
Helsinki, Finland, based designer Lincoln Kayiwa has designed the sterling silver Tukaani, a hand made connected set of chopsticks for the clumsy among us. A killer tool for the Sushi aficionado.
The loop is the key element: It holds and let you manipulate the chopsticks and can also be used to hang, store and display the Tukaani.
Lincoln Kayiwa was born in an architectural family in Kampala, Uganda in 1979. He graduated as a Master of Arts from the University of Art and Design Helsinki UIAH in 2008. Upon graduating he started his own brand product design company Kayiwa. He currently lives and works in Helsinki, Töölö.
I was too busy to notice it myself, but my first blog post dates back to June 5, 2004.
Rather than looking back in detail, which might be a bit boring, I’ve decided to finally complete the English translation and enhancement of my first ever power point presentation.
Ifitt had asked me for a presentation in Dutch for their Dutch day of Enter09, their annual conference. The 2009 edition was held in Amsterdam in January, 2009. The brief was to tell something about the do’s and don’ts by a blogging hotelier. Look for yourself:-)
