Dutch Architecture!

The Netherlands had so much more architecture than I thought it would've. And on top of that, the architecture seemed almost more free reined than a lot of other places. In some ways, it seemed more restrained, like the boxier forms as opposed to some of the curvier forms you might find elsewhere, but at the same time, the surfaces and skins and materials and forms within the boxes were almost anything you can imagine. Anneka, our tour guide, mentioned this had something to do with how prefab pieces and parts are cheaper, which would cause architects to keep more traditional forms.

There was one building that had letters for columns and the roof had holes in it that let the rain water in for aesthic and heating purposes. They only have to heat the building once a year! Talk about efficiency. Not to mention it was just cool how that blurred the lines between interior and exterior space.

Also, there were many buildings and neighborhoods that just had quite the collection of materials on the outside and the inside. Which, as you know, is my obession :-P