Pavement on a streetcorner, somewhere in southern Europe. Photo: RM
In a world where almost everything is designed, it can be a relief to come across something that has obviously NOT been designed. What characterizes design? Continue reading
Power Transformer uilding with folly in Bagnols-en-Forêt, France Photo: RM
After the construction of this small power transformer building on the outskirts of Bagnols-en-Foret (Var, France) there were some bricks and tiles left over. This probably made the construction workers decide to go on a little more, this time improvising, without construction drawings, as a kind of constructional jam session after work. The result was a sloping piece of wall next to the house, covered with tiles, containing an asymmetrical gate. Continue reading
Bee Hotel in Arboretum Trompenburg, Rotterdam. Photo: RM
The parallels between wildlife and the human world are numerous. Since humans find it necessary to help certain species with their housing by making nest boxes and the like, animals have to deal with all the problems that also occur in the human real estate market. Continue reading
Architectural innovations in Tyrol’s oldest Konditorei. Continue reading
Shell Building, Rotterdam. Phoyto: RM
Is real estate vacancy really such a problem? Continue reading
Christmas decorations, the Netherlands.
It’s Christmas again: the most wonderful time of the year. We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ by stuffing ourselves with food underneath a decorated spruce. Cozy, sure. But how did we get here? How far has our civilization drifted for our most important holiday to take the form it has taken today? Continue reading
Wall painting, Eindhoven. Photo: Rogier Mentink
In a way, we all yearn for the cozy aesthetic of the illustrations from the children’s books of our childhood. Continue reading
Bargemon, Var, France. Photo: Rogier Mentink
Walking around in a village in southern France, I came across this striking example of “architecture without architects”. Continue reading
Living in a Barrel 