Friday, March 28, an interesting exhibition was opened at the Casla in Almere, Flevoland. It features the winning projects of the third edition of the ‘Eenvoud’ (’Simplicity’) competition for an experimental neighbourhood in Almere. The previous editions, ‘De Fantasie’ (’Fantasy’) and ‘De Realiteit’ (‘Reality’) were kept in the 1980s and their results are still worth seeing.

The goal of the Eenvoud competition which started in 2006 was to design a freestanding and simple low-cost house, expressing living desires and ideas. The winners were given the opportunity to build their design on a beautiful open spot in the woodlands of Noorderplassen-West. The houses have to have a permanent character, with a minimum of building regulations.

That last bit is quite ironic, considering the plethora of building regulations imposed throughout the country and the fact that Almere, a city built moslty on reclaimed land, is literally sinking. The photo shows the Ornithologist’s house, birds and all.

(Link: dysturb.net, Photo ‘Het Huis van de Vogelaar’ by Anouk Vogel and Johan Selbing)

Brasserie De Jongens van Almere in Almere, Flevoland has made the news with their toilets. The brasserie has installed two women’s toilets in one space. Owner René Josso was forced to do so to follow rules imposed by the city. “We already had separate women’s and men’s toilets when the city came up with an additional requirement. To save space, we squeezed two ladies’ toilets together,” Josso explains. Apparently, the toilets are a hit, as women think they are “fun”.

(Link: zibb.nl)

Two actors from the musical Grease were injured Sunday night during a performance in Almere. The car drove off the podium right into the orchestra pit. Idols star Jim Bakkum, who plays Danny Zuko and was in the car at the time, ended up with a concussion, while his co-star Bettina Holwerda broke her arm. Both were brought to the hospital. The cause of the accident is as yet unknown.

(Link)