Well, architecturally it is as diverse as its inhabitants. Near the Central Station there is this - um - building that reminds me of east Berlin - sort of soviet -style, post-war, communist brutalism. It covers a whole block - it is HUGE. (Note the bikes!).
Other, smaller, similar-style buildings - presumably the first of the post-war rebuild - are much in evidence.
Then, on the other side of the Central Station, there is this...
and further down the road, this, under construction...
and closer to the waterfront, this (very famous)...
I went inside one of these residential cubes. I couldn't live there. Total claustrophobia.
And so it goes on...
Very difficult to capture these big, new buildings in a photo. The sheer scale is lost. However, this is one 'face' of Rotterdam. Grand, awe-inspiring, ugly ... take your pick. Never less than challenging.
I'll do other 'faces' of Rotterdam in successive posts...
This is a bit scary for Christchurch - what can happen when you let the planners and architects loose after total devastation.
ReplyDeleteYes very ugly buildings, but I like the bikes :) Those cube things look scary, I'd feel very small standing in that courtyard.
ReplyDeleteBetween you and me...I like Christchurch with all the gaps. You can see trees and hills. I hope they don't build big and ugly again. I hope they make the Square pretty like it was when Nan would take me in for morning tea and shopping.
I like the gaps too Niki. Suddenly unexpected views through and beyond. It was one of the things quite soon after the quakes that I really 'enjoyed'. Changes your sense of place and space.
ReplyDeleteApparently Nature abhores a vacuum .. so the space might not last
ReplyDeleteWhat about those cubes? Are the floors level? Inside walls vertical? They look like they've suffered an earthquake and are about to implode. How curious. Wouldn't you love to know more about the designer . . .
ReplyDeleteDifferent levels and sloping walls. I like 'different' in architecture but these I couldn't live in...
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