Category: Visualisation

Orbital image of a terraformed Mars with the Northern ocean and the North Pole, Valles Marineris, Kasei Vallis, Arabia Terra and the Tharsis highlands, against a background of stars

12. January 2015

Modified Mars Revisited

A few weeks ago I received an email from someone who asked my permission to use Modified Mars as a setting for a novel. Modified Mars is a project that I conceived eight years ago, and it’s about terraforming the world currently known as the Red Planet. Another Earth First a brief explanation for those who rarely or never read science fiction. Terraforming (literally earth formation) is the alteration of a planet in such a way that Earth organisms, including humans, can thrive there. Terraformers are especially interested in Mars for several reasons. The planet is not too big, not… Read More

Remembrance monument for cemeteries, with azure blue glass blocks, designed by Dirry de Bruin

Visualisation

10. October 2014

Memories in Glass

The last few weeks I have been working on artist impressions of commemorative monuments for a client named Denkend Aan. That name refers to one of the most widely known Dutch poems by Hendrik Marsman. “Thinking of Holland I see wide rivers…”. Denkend Aan is an initiative by Dirry de Bruin who previously designed a monument on Westgaarde cemetery in Amsterdam. Except for the design Denkend Aan also takes responsibility for the implementation and management of the monuments. Through a website people can order a glass element with their desired text, which will then be placed in a monument. I… Read More

Artist impression of Windmill De Noord, reconstructed on the refurbished and greened Oostplein in Rotterdam

Visualisation

30. July 2014

Rotterdam, Oostplein: Return of the Windmill

If you would like to rebuild all the lost monuments in Rotterdam, you are faced with an impossible task. It may not be desirable either, all this nostalgia for an idealized past. We must move on and build cities that are an answer to the challenges of our time. However, I would like to make an exception for windmill De Noord on Oostplein. A relatively small structure, so it’s easy to realize. But the impact on the square and its surroundings would be enormous. Rotterdam 2040 A while ago I saw on Vimeo the movie Rotterdam 2040, created by Gyz… Read More

Front facade of the Green Pyramid, a radically sustainable house in Borne, The Netherlands: a modest entry to a surprisingly generous space

Design / Visualisation

22. June 2014

The Green Pyramid: Radically Sustainable

The Bornsche Maten is a new neighborhood in the municipality of Borne, the Netherlands. In the southern part there’s room for the so-called “Living Wild”-concept: building without restrictive rules, giving the buyer the right to determine the size of the lot and the freedom to choose which style of living suits him or her. There is still room for ten to twenty houses. In a design competition builders and architects were challenged to share their creative approach to living in the 21st century. A jury has reviewed the 39 submissions on originality, comfort, sustainability and innovation; ultimately they selected 18… Read More

The demolished Old Bijenkorf department store in Rotterdam by architect Dudok, as seen from the Schieland tower and surrounded by present day highrise buildings

Visualisation

18. May 2014

The Unknown Side of Dudok

Two years ago I made the Bijenkorf triptych , as a homage to a legendary building with a tragic history: the old Bijenkorf department store in Rotterdam by architect W.M. Dudok. Maybe the most beautiful building that was constructed in the Netherlands in the twentieth century, but after only ten years, it was largely destroyed by German bombs. The part that survived the bombing was patched up and served twenty years as a department store and as storage but was finally demolished in 1960. The documentary City of Light by Peter Veenendaal tells the complete story about this lost architectural… Read More

View of the future breakwater islands in the IJssel river near Deventer, part of the Room for the River project

Visualisation

25. April 2014

Islands in the Stream

Stentor was, in Greek mythology, a herald with a loud voice who served in the Greek army at Troy. De Stentor is also the regional newspaper of Deventer and surroundings. Island breakwaters On April 12th, de Stentor published this image, made by 3Develop, to illustrate an article about the island breakwaters that will be made in the IJssel river: Innovation The island breakwaters are part of the Room for the River project that aims to enhance the flow of water in the IJssel, in order to prevent flooding. They are an innovative way to ensure that the channel does not… Read More

Artist impression of proposed pergola on the Lloydpier in Rotterdam

Visualisation

18. March 2014

Pergola on the Pier

Garden on the Pier is an initiative like there are quite a few these days: a group of residents that turn a vacant piece of land into a temporary park for the neighbourhood. The Pier at stake here is the Lloyd Pier in Rotterdam which, as a consequence of the economic crisis, won’t be redeveloped as rapidly as originally envisioned. A part of the Pier can be used as a garden for several years. This is what the site currently looks like: Rose garden One of the plans is the construction of a pergola against which roses can grow. Piet… Read More

Hebes Chasma, in the early stages of terraforming. rendered in Terragen, with NASA's indestructible rover Opportunity

Space art / Visualisation

7. March 2014

Terraforming for Beginners

Terragen is software for generating landscapes. Landscapes on Earth but just as easily on other worlds, as is shown for example by Kees Veenenbos. Years ago I loaded some elevation data from NASA’s Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter into Terragen and I did some experimenting. There is a new version of the program now, which was a good reason to take those old terrain data off the shelf again. Rocks and grass There is much more possible with Terragen, these days. In the old days only aerial views could be made somewhat realistic. But nowadays you can add rocks, grass clumps,… Read More

The fortifications and city of of Venlo in the 17th century, based on the map in the atlas by Joan Blaeu

Design / Visualisation

22. February 2014

Return to Venlo: the fortifications reconstructed

The picture, further on on this page, of the fortifications of Venlo is actually a spin-off of the Koninginneplein project. Working for Royal HaskoningDHV, I made the design for the glass panels in the balustrade, together with colleague Mari Baauw. The panels on the city side show the Venlo fortifications that once were on that location. On the other side are the armies that have tried time and again to conquer the city. Along the walking route from the station to the city center are the dates of the many battles in the history of Venlo, embossed in the concrete… Read More

Aert van Nesstraat in Rotterdam with trees, new pavement and new street furniture

Visualisation

27. January 2014

Greening Aert van Nes

Aert van Nesstraat is a rather stony street in the center of Rotterdam. There are some interesting buildings: the pre-war Atlanta hotel and some monuments from the post-war reconstruction era like the Lijnbaan and the Bank Mees and Hope. And okay, a few architectural blunders from the seventies: the parking garage of the Bijenkorf and the so-called Rotterdam Building. But what’s especially remarkable is the total absence of green. Admittedly, the western part of the road runs along one of the Lijnbaan courts. But in the section between Lijnbaan and Coolsingel there is not a tree, not a bush, not… Read More