Ronald
Active Member
Last saturday, the "Day of Architecture" was held in every larger city in the Netherlands. A lot of buildings were open to the public. There were tours organized in many cities aswell (both on land and on the water), where an architect would guide you through the city, taking you along architectural highlights of the town. In addition to this there were many expos, debates, and more architecture-related activities. And, everything was free too! 
I stayed right here in Utrecht, grabbing this chance to get to know more about the city I've been living in for slightly over a year now.
Ready to embark? My old roommate and I took a tour along the historic channels of Utrecht.
The Dom Tower, the icon of the city. It has been voted "the prettiest building in The Netherlands"
Facades along the old channel. The one to the right doesn't fit in so well IMO, it lacks details you'd expect a building in such a prime location to have!
Just when you think you're in an historic environment, this new building pops up. It's for sale, for 1.2 mln euros it's yours.
Nearly all of the inner city is surrounded by a wider channel.
Leaving the inner city, heading south.
Entering the "Dichterswijk" (Poet's neighbourhood). This used to be an industrial area/ harbour as recently as 2 decades ago.
Believe it or not, these left-overs from the harbour-era are now in use as offices.
The inside:
Looking at the Dichterswijk from inside the silos.
New residences and their courtyards
Cars are all parked underground here.
Another interesting building/ fancy restaurant along the quay.
Along one wall, the layout of the new neighbourhood can be seen.
Back in the inner city, crowded as ever on a saturday afternoon.
Square behind City Hall. One of Utrecht's finest public spaces, IMO.
Square behind City Hall (cont.)
Inside City Hall, there was an expo on Architecture in Utrecht in the year 2018. Here's some pics of the expo.
To conclude the day, there was a debate at the square behind City Hall. Architects, Urban Designers and members from the City Council reflected on the current situation of Utrecht and the possibilities for the future of Architecture in the city. The lady in the middle is Marlies Rohmer, designer of, amongst other, Casa Confetti, new student housing on Utrecht University's campus. (http://www.skyscrapercity.info/100.php?id=4&bid=2422; http://www.trajectum.hu.nl/files/beeld/nieuws/casa.jpg)
Hope you enjoyed! Since I'm going to study in Gainesville, Florida next semester, this was one of my last photo threads of Dutch cities for a while.
I stayed right here in Utrecht, grabbing this chance to get to know more about the city I've been living in for slightly over a year now.Ready to embark? My old roommate and I took a tour along the historic channels of Utrecht.
The Dom Tower, the icon of the city. It has been voted "the prettiest building in The Netherlands"
Facades along the old channel. The one to the right doesn't fit in so well IMO, it lacks details you'd expect a building in such a prime location to have!
Just when you think you're in an historic environment, this new building pops up. It's for sale, for 1.2 mln euros it's yours.
Nearly all of the inner city is surrounded by a wider channel.
Leaving the inner city, heading south.
Entering the "Dichterswijk" (Poet's neighbourhood). This used to be an industrial area/ harbour as recently as 2 decades ago.
Believe it or not, these left-overs from the harbour-era are now in use as offices.
The inside:
Looking at the Dichterswijk from inside the silos.
New residences and their courtyards
Cars are all parked underground here.
Another interesting building/ fancy restaurant along the quay.
Along one wall, the layout of the new neighbourhood can be seen.
Back in the inner city, crowded as ever on a saturday afternoon.
Square behind City Hall. One of Utrecht's finest public spaces, IMO.
Square behind City Hall (cont.)
Inside City Hall, there was an expo on Architecture in Utrecht in the year 2018. Here's some pics of the expo.
To conclude the day, there was a debate at the square behind City Hall. Architects, Urban Designers and members from the City Council reflected on the current situation of Utrecht and the possibilities for the future of Architecture in the city. The lady in the middle is Marlies Rohmer, designer of, amongst other, Casa Confetti, new student housing on Utrecht University's campus. (http://www.skyscrapercity.info/100.php?id=4&bid=2422; http://www.trajectum.hu.nl/files/beeld/nieuws/casa.jpg)
Hope you enjoyed! Since I'm going to study in Gainesville, Florida next semester, this was one of my last photo threads of Dutch cities for a while.
