Architecture: Innovation At The Top 25 Dutch Firms

photo_credit Laurens Eggen

25 best architecture firms in The Netherlands

Archello (April 24, 2023) – Dutch architecture has long been at the vanguard of experimentation and innovation, pushing the boundaries of design metaphorically and literally. With an extensive chunk of the country situated below sea level, the Dutch have always relied on bold engineering and architectural solutions to adapt to the changing water levels to build habitats.

1. MVRDV

photo_credit Marcel Steinbach
Marcel Steinbach

MVRDV is a globally based architectural firm established in 1993 by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries, with offices in Rotterdam, Shanghai, Paris, Berlin, and New York. 

2. OMA

photo_credit Egbert de Boer
Egbert de Boer

OMA is an internationally renowned architecture and urbanism practice led by eight partners, Rem Koolhas, Reinier de Graaf, Ellen van Loon, Shohei Shigematsu, Iyad Alsaka, Chris van Duijn, Jason Long, and Managing Partner-Architect David Gianotten. With offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Doha and Australia, the practice is currently working on several building projects, including the renovation of Kaufhaus des Westens in Berlin and the Simone Veil Bridge in Bordeaux.

3. UNStudio

photo_credit Eva Bloem
Eva Bloem

UNStudio began as a vision of two young minds, Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos, who started with a simple drawing board and a pen, sketching their designs for the future. Today, 30 years later, UNStudio operates in over 30 countries with six international offices and a team of over 200 architects and designers who focus on designing spaces that meet human needs. 

READ MORE AT ARCHELLO.COM

Travel: A Tour Of Angel Island, San Francisco (4K)

April 24, 2023: Angel Island State Park, the largest natural island in the San Francisco Bay, offers some of the best views of the surrounding Bay Area. With great hiking trails and many other recreational opportunities readily available, Angel Island is truly a hidden gem in the midst of the urban Bay Area. 

Beginning with the earliest inhabitants, the Coast Miwok, Angel Island was a seasonal hunting and gathering location for the local native tribes, a safe refuge and supply stop for Spanish explorers like Juan Manuel de Ayala, one of the first to map the San Francisco Bay.

From 1910 to 1940, the U.S. Immigration Station processed hundreds of thousands of immigrants, the majority from China. During World War II, Japanese, and German POWs were detained at the Station before being sent to facilities farther inland.

Filmed on April 22, 2023 by Walk with Preeti

News: Russia’s Foreign Policy, China Backtracks, North Sea Energy Meeting

The Globalist, April 25, 2023: An update on the war in Ukraine as Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, visits New York. Also, leaders from the largest-ever coalition around energy in the North Sea meet in Belgium.

Plus, Spanish authorities exhume the remains of a fascist leader.the papers with Charles Hecker and a culture round-up with Amah-Rose Abrams.

Front Page: The New York Times — April 25, 2023

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Ukraine’s Spring Offensive Comes With Immense Stakes for Future of the War

Damage in Izium, Ukraine, last week. A failed counteroffensive could lead to waning Western support in Ukraine.
CREDITMAURICIO LIMA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Without a decisive victory, Western support for Ukraine could weaken, and Kyiv could come under increasing pressure to enter serious peace talks to end or freeze the conflict.

Tucker Carlson, a Source of Repeated Controversies, Is Out at Fox News

Tucker Carlson’s announcement was made less than a week after Fox settled a defamation suit for $787.5 million.
CREDITREBECCA NOBLE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Mr. Carlson has been one of the network’s top-rated hosts for many years.

What Tucker Carlson Leaves Behind as He Is Shown the Door

The host’s abrupt dismissal upends Fox News’s prime-time lineup — and the carefully honed impression that the ratings star was all but untouchable.

These Countries Lined Up to Help Ukraine. Now Their Farmers Are Angry.

A grain deal that got Ukrainian exports moving and eased a global food crisis is now fueling protests in Romania and among other staunch supporters of Kyiv.

Opinion: Wise Worries On AI, Global Peace Crumbles, The English Identity Myth

The Economist ‘Editor’s Picks’ Podcast (April 24, 2023) This week, how to worry wisely about artificial intelligence, why in Sudan and beyond, the trend towards global peace has been reversed (13:00) and if English nationalism is on the rise, no one has told the English (19:30).

Preview: London Review Of Books — May 4, 2023

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London Review of Books (LRB) – May 4, 2023 issue: French President Emmanuel Macron and the Pension Crisis, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Big Con’ and more.

Macron v. Millions – The pensions crisis in France

Jeremy Harding · Macron v. Millions · LRB 4 May 2023

Pensions​ – and ‘the fiscal impact of ageing’ – have long troubled the EU. A European Commission paper published in 2016 noted with relief that ‘most EU member states’ were reforming their pension systems. France is one of them. During his first term in office Emmanuel Macron envisaged an ambitious reform plan, but Covid-19 put paid to it. Re-elected in 2022, he put a different plan on the table; at its core is an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64. It has been predictably unpopular. Pensions rank high on the list of French state expenditures. They are one of the cornerstones in France’s edifice of public provision, which is why the sound of drilling and hammering sets most citizens’ teeth on edge.

Travel & Living: Cotswold Life Magazine – May 2023

Cotswold Life (@cotswoldlife) / Twitter

COTSWOLD LIFE MAGAZINE – MAY 2023: The issue features the folklore, sayings and celebrations of Maytime; 24-hours in Burford; @Benfogle on health scares, hope & homesickness; from Elgar to Beatlemania at @AbbeyRoad; an illustrated guide to #Uley; a folkloric walk by the River Severn.

Type 2 Diabetes Studies: 65% Higher Death Rates With ‘Sweetened Drinks’

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The BMJ (Published April 19, 2023) – Conclusions: Individual beverages showed divergent associations with all cause mortality and CVD outcomes among adults with type 2 diabetes. Higher intake of SSBs was associated with higher all cause mortality and CVD incidence and mortality, whereas intakes of coffee, tea, plain water, and low fat milk were inversely associated with all cause mortality. These findings emphasize the potential role of healthy choices of beverages in managing the risk of CVD and premature death overall in adults with type 2 diabetes.

READ COMPLETE BMJ RESEARCH STUDY

Travel Tours: Smithsonian Journeys – April 2023-2024

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VIEW ONLINE 2023-2024 CATALOG

Powered by more than 175 years of prestige and trust in the Smithsonian, our trips mirror the reputation, varied collections, research, and community of the Institution. On any given trip, you’ll travel with intellectually curious, worldly, and adventurous life-long learners, and forge lasting friendships with others who share your passion for deeper learning and exploration.