Interests

Rem Koolhaas, a world-renowned architect that has won the Pritzker architecture prize, works and lives here in the city I live. Not only he, but entire generations of architects have used this place as experimental breeding ground and that turned it into a city full of interesting architecture.

Unsurprisingly, this has created my interest in modern architecture. Although Europe is full of beautiful cathedrals and many other neoclassical architecture, I tend to like contemporary architecture mostly. Not only from a visual point of view, but also the complex challenge of modern urban design.

The future is green, especially after the Paris accords from last year. The challenges facing the world are enormous and there is only one way to prevent the worst effects of climate change: keeping things in the ground. This doesn't mean we have to abandon plastics or other fossil materials, but by starting to seriously reuse them and making products last, we can make a tremendous difference.

Not far from here, is BlueCity 010, which is a incubator for startups that are doing something with waste. All the participants housed in BlueCity's facility - once a well known tropical pool - are connecting themselves to each others waste streams. A lot is possible, and this absolutely fascinates me.

Rotterdam is world-famous for being Europe's biggest port, but it has more to offer than just that. The city - built below sea level - was leveled in WWII and rebuilt with a contemporary skyline, the kind of modern architecture I like.

In recent years, tourism has increased after the New York Times placed it among the cities to visit in 2014 and the Lonely Planet placed it 5th in the Best in Travel 2016 listing. The irony was that Rotterdam - historically - was unpopular in the Netherlands due to its lack of cozy canal-filled center.

The metropolitan area houses about 2.3 million inhabitants and its nickname is "Manhattan on the Meuse", of which it only accomplishes a tiny, tiny fraction. But with its compact city center, there's plenty to see and do. If you are near, feel free to reach out and I'll show you around!