Soumaya Museum

3 March 2011 - The Soumaya Museum has opened! Designed by LAR + Fernando Romero, the Soumaya Museum will house a diverse collection of international painting, sculpture, and object art from the 14th century to the present, including the world’s second largest collection of Rodin sculptures.  Conceived as a sculpture, the museum’s amorphous form will be a contemporary icon for Mexico City that is also a functional curatorial space. The Museum is funded by Mexican rich man Carlos Slim, who can rightfully claim the title of the world's richest man. The museum will also house his private art collection. .

Makkah Clock Royal Tower

10 Dec 2010 - Pilgrims to the recent Haj must have marvelled at the stupendous sight of the newly completed and partially opened Makkah Clock Royal Tower, which towers over the holy site of Kaaba and totally dominates the landscape. The building is already regarded a new icon of Islam due to its location, spectacular size and Islamic elements. At 577 m it is the world's second tallest building, playing bridesmaid to Dubai's 828m tall Burj Khalifa, but it does lay claim to the world's tallest concrete building, besides housing the world's tallest hotel. Witjh Mecca being a city of low-rise building, the tower stands out with its mind-boggling dimensions. At full capacity the Royal Tower will accommodate 100,000 people in 3,000 rooms. Its prayer hall alone can fit 10,000 worshippers. The clock, said to cost USD 750 mio., can be seen from 18 km away. It announces daily prayers to the Muslim world through amplifiers that can reach 7 km. in distance.

New Home

1 Oct 2010 - In a few weeks I will move house. So I am in this phase between packing up and thinking (dreaming) of my new castle. I learned that when looking to move apartment, some of us place too much emphasis on the orientation of the building. However, this is not always necessary. The laws of fung shui teach us that it is important to look at the immediate environment of the building. It should not be the only building in the area, otherwise occupants will feel lonely. It also should not be the tallest building to the extent that it clearly towers over the rest, or else occupants will be vulnerable to mishaps. On the other hand, the building should also not ne dwarfed by the surrounding buildings, otherwise one will find oneself being taken advantage of. Thus, it is best to live in a building that is similar in height to most of the buildings in the immediate vicinity.

Sanlitun SoHo

7 Sep 2010 - I still remember going to Beijing's Sanlitun area in the 1990s and enjoying a beer in one of the (very) local bars. Who would have thought that a bit more than a decade onwards the area would have changed into one of the funkiest on the planet? The huge, upscale Sanlitun SoHo area was recently opened and completes the development of shopping malls, hotels and restaurants in this part of northeast Beijing. The project was developed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who says he remained faithful to his design obsessions - to soften hard urban lines and incorporate, rather than ignore, local contexts. An open development with no walls and the neighbourly feel of its New York namesake, one of the Sanlitun's SoHo's most striking features is what he calls the "Grand Canyon effect" achieved by the water pathway that runs through the length of the complex. The area is a must-see for every visitor to Beijing .   

Capital Gate

11 Aug. 2010 - Capital Gate in Abu Dhabi has been officially certified by Guinness Book of Records as the 'World's Furthest Leaning Manmade Tower'. The 160 meters, 35 stories tower has been built to lean 18 degrees westwards. When fully completed by the end of the year, the tower will house 'Hyatt Capital Gate', as well as exclusive office space. Recently, the UAE are making a name for themselves as all its latest buildings seem to qualify for 'the highest, biggest, tallest, most expensive' superlative attached to it. British based international architecture firm RMJM designed Capital Gate, which is adjacent to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center. The famous leaning tower in Pisa only leans 4 degrees. Eat your heart out, Pisa!

Bank of Pei

14 June 2010 - The Bank of China is without any doubt one of the landmark buildings in Hong Kong. Architect I.M. Pei created a building that combines the aspirations of the Chinese people with goodwill for the colonial British. The original design included x-shaped arches, but in Chinese culture the X symbolizes death, so the plan had to be abandoned. Instead, Pei choose for diamond-shaped forms. Also, the lower half of the building is inspired by bamboo, an symbol of prosperity in Asia. Hong Kong people still feel the building has too many sharp corners, which may cause bad feng shui and bad luck for neighbors like the Legislative Council and Governors House. From 1989 to 992 the Bank of China building was the tallest building of Hong Kong. In fact, it is said the building was deliberately designed to dwarf the nearby Hong Kong Bank. Fascinating and beautiful!

Basket Case

3 June 2010 - What makes a building great? Many great buildings are famous for their beauty or ingenuity. Others have historical significance or stirred up controversy. I came accross a picture of this basket-building, which seems controversial enough. Who wants to live in a basket? Unfortunately the picture came without any caption. So who knows where is this building is - and who the architect is? It is a good example of thinking out of the box - eh ... basket. Beautiful or completely wrong?

Ryugyong Hotel

1 June 2010 - Not many people had the opportunity to go to North Korea. I went there in 2004, and it was one of the most bizar places I have ever visited. Strangely, Pyongyang is actually quite a beautiful city. It has flair and elegance, and the many large scale government buildings and wide avenues bring some grandeur to the city. One of the most striking buildings in town is the Ryugyong Hotel. When Seoul was awarded the Olympic Games a few years before 1988, Pyongyang one-sidedly announced that part of the event was to be organized in the North. Mass construction works stared, as stadiums and infrastructure needed to be prepared. The pictured Ryugyong Hotel was built to accommodate the athletes. Of course, we know the athletes never came, and the hotel was never finished. But the building is huge and can be seen from all over town. Its like a modern times pyramid - a symbol of modern times oppression.

Koolhaas does it Again!

23 April 2010 - The City of Council of The Hague (the city where I was born) greenlighted the building of Rem Koolhaas' M in front of the Central Station. It is great, because the Central Station is a monster from the early 1970's (I still remember it was being built!), but its facade will be completely covered by the M building. Maybe its a concern that the building will be 93 meters high, but then again after Hong Kong I have learned to think big .. eh .. high. The building consists of 3 Towers who are connected by one big roof. Maybe the City Council of the Hague should visit Singapore to look at the casino, where there is a similar construction, but a green jungle being grown on the roof. Three Cheers for The Hague!