Category: Dutch Design

Dutch Dutch Design (24): "The Hague" studies new Tulip Island in North Sea

Tulip Island
Via Bert Brussen from Trouw

On initiative of the Christian Democratic Party CDA, Dutch Parliament has instructed the Dutch Ministers (who reside in The Hague, hence the “The Hague” reference in the title as a metaphor for Dutch government) to study the possibility of an artificial island in the Northsea between Rotterdam and IJmuiden. IJmuiden is the access to Amsterdam Harbour. Its secondary function would be to protect the weak Dutch coastline that seems under threat by global warming. Not a bad idea now so many Dutch contractors are getting a lot of experience by their involvement in the Emirates Islands building and helping New Orleans out with advice about flood protection.

In the proposal the Island gets a tulip form. The tulip is one of the national symbols of The Netherlands. Most marketeers who use it as marketing symbol tend to forget once the Dutch “traders” “stole” the tulip bulbs from the Turks and initiated the Tulip Mania.

In this context it is funny how Bert Brussen, a free lance journalist, placed as a prank an alternative Turkish Island form as a counter proposal for the Island form by the leftist PVDA (Dutch Workers) party on his Blog :

Turkish Island in The North Sea

Some “Turkish Delight” as consolation in case Turkey won’t become a EG member?

However I do like the Tulip idea!

Dutch Dutch Design (23): QBic Hotel at CNN

When launched Qbic got featured on CNN. I didn’t see it myself. I red the transcript once, but thanks to fellow Blogger Época Alta I found the Youtube link:

The first ever Qbic Hotel is four months in operation now and its occupancy rates are reportedly over 90%.

Dutch Design (22): Dutch Solar Car Nuna4 has won the Australian World Solar Challenge

I Love Nuna4

Unofficially, according to a comment on its Blog, confirmed by a post on the official WSC Blog, Dutch Nuna4 has won the World Solar Challenge.

They arrived at Port Augusta at 16.54 hr local time, just 6 minutes before closing time of the control and finished the official timed stretch of the race. The Port Augusta to Adelaide (where the official finish is) leg seems not to count as a timed part of the race, as the leg has too much traffic and racing would be too dangerous.

The Nuon sponsored Delft Technical University Team rules the waves (err the sun rays) as this is the fourth consecutive win on a row of this biannual challenge.

Apparently they did not beat the team’s prior average speed record, because they met more clouds and rain under way.

Now I am curious if they will consider competing in a solar car race in the United States of America, for instance the 2008 American Solar Challenge, a 2400 mile race from Dallas, Texas to Calgary, Alberta.

To be updated.

Update 1) It seems the servers of the various sites are groaning under heavy traffic……

Dutch Design (21): Solar Car Nuna4 in the Lead of Australian World Solar Challenge

Solar Challenge

With this magnificent photo that I pinched from the Panasonic World Solar Challenge site today, I’ll give you a short update after 3 days of racing and a rest day in Alice Springs:

  1. Nuna4 of the Nuon Solar Team (Delft, Netherlands) with 756 km to go to the finish in Adelaide
  2. Umicore Solar Team (Belgium) roughly 82 km (60 minutes) behind Nuna4
  3. Aurora Vehicle Association Team (Australia), 90 minutes behind Nuna4
  4. FH Bochum Solar Car Team (Germany)

It is a pity that the organization is so scarce with giving proper information. I believe there is a lot of interest for multimedia coverage of this race, but alas not much to be found…..For instance in the Volvo Ocean sailing races and in the America’s Cup match sailing races we can follow the races in real time in our armchair behind the computer while each competitor has a camera and a GPS tracking device mounted on their yachts. Same is the case with the World Rally Championships.

Very sadly the US competitor of the University of Michigan, the Continuum of UM Solar Car Team, due to an accident are way, 11 hours and 24 minutes according to their Blog, behind Nuna4, but they seem to gain now.

Dutch Design (20): Amstelveen: Citizen M and the Neighbourhood

Last Saturday the reverent Dutch Daily Newspaper

published a story about one of the future locations of a Citizen M Pod Hotel in Amstelveen, a suburb of, and connected with, Amsterdam. It gives more insight about the format of the Citizen M Pod Hotel concept.

It appears that the neighborhood, a middle to up class residential area, is contending the plans of Citizen M in court, as the building permit has been granted.

  • First there is an office building that has to be demolished to make place for the new hotel. I would say the building is not that disgusting, that it has to be demolished.
Citizen M Amstelveen
The building that will be demolished
Photo Maurice Boyer
  • They don’t like the design of the new building as it is not consistent with the architecture of the neighborhood. This is off course a very difficult discussion about “taste”
Citizen M Amstelveen Plan
  • Then they don’t like that the hotel will be located in a residential area. They fear too much traffic and too much parking problems, as no specific parking space is foreseen for the Hotel. The lawyer representing Citizen M claims that the guests will mainly arrive by international air transport and by taxi. I highly doubt that to be a truthful statement.
  • They fear it to become a by the hour rendez-vous Hotel and fear an influx of cheap backpackers tourism. The last argument is unlikely as the much cheaper hostel concept specifically caters for the backpackers.
  • They fear loss of privacy as guests will be able to look in their homes from the many windows. This is a bit strange argument if one knows the very Dutch habit of not closing the curtains when the sun sets, that many of our foreign guests find a rather peculiar typical Dutch habit.

It seems to take some time before the building permit will be finally granted….