METRONOME: The Black Pearl in Rotterdam

17 November, 2012

The Black Pearl in Rotterdam

Labels: Homes

The reconstruction of an old building in Rotterdam, transforming it into a studio & house has resulted in an architectural spectacle in which Studio Rolf.fr have been experimented with space and time. The new metal window frames sticking out in some spots, form a sharp contrast with the existing but freshly painted black facade and it's old windows that have been painted black as well.

On the inside all storey floors and all the walls have been taken out reducing the interior to one big communicating space. Just as in the facade the traces of the past are visible everywhere in the interior as well. On the walls an old banister and holes of wooden floor beams reveal the partitioning of the former house. The new house and living space has a completely new interior arrangement. The ground level of the house contains a big workshop on the inside and a bamboo garden on the outside. Above a connection of half open functions is created; living, cooking and eating, sleeping, a bathroom and walk-in cabinet. On the top level the old tile roof has been removed to make way for a greenhouse. The plants however are outside on the roof terrace while in the greenhouse a jacuzzi is placed providing a terrific view over Rotterdam while taking a bath.

The facade is designed in collaboration with Zecc Architects, and by the way the house is for sale, if anyone is interested.

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Browse the METRONOME LOOK.BOOK. Click on the cover below, and a new tab (or browser window) will open to take you there. Leaf through our exploration on different men styles. A plethora of images and videos are offered for your entertainment, as well as to provide you with ideas ; a series of visual stimuli to experiment on your personal style.

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Browse METRONOME Spaces, a collection of images to inspire you for the living environments you create. A short documentary on past and current interior design, which visualizes our view on how modern living could look and feel. Click on the cover you will find further below, and a new tab (or browser window) will again open to take you there.

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That's all. Welcome and enjoy the METRONOME !

There seems to be an odd, though much expected, association between men and diy projects. Tasks like changing the car tire or the occasional burnt lightbulb around the house, are taken for granted. To make matters worse, a man has to be able to construct and fix stuff, either as a hobby, or when the need arises. The truth is that, even if you "don't have it", practice does make perfect. Start mendling or fixing things and after some time (and many failed efforts) you will become an expert. This section, regardless whether you consider yourself a "novice" or a "weathered" diy-arian, we hope will give you new ideas to work on, or allow you to explore the diy resources available on the web nowadays under one roof.

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DIY RESOURCES >>>

DIY PROJECTS >>>

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This section aggregates information from various different sources, websites and blogs, organised under topics of interest. You can use them as a central point to read and access articles that may interest you, without having to visit all those urls (unless of course you want more info). The information can be viewed in either gallery format (posts from different sources are mixed and presented in chronological order, in large thumbnail format ; really cool) via the METRONOME channels created in NewsMix.me, OR the information can be viewed in blog format (with option for just the headlines form each source, in a convenient tabulated form) via the METRONOME channels created in Collected.info. We hope you find them useful !

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VIEW ARTICLES AS A GALLERY >>>

READ IN BLOG FORMAT OR JUST THE HEADLINES >>>

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VIEW ARTICLES AS A GALLERY >>>

READ IN BLOG FORMAT OR JUST THE HEADLINES >>>

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VIEW ARTICLES AS A GALLERY >>>

READ IN BLOG FORMAT OR JUST THE HEADLINES >>>

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Newsmap is an application that visually reflects the constantly changing landscape of the Google News news aggregator. Google News automatically groups news stories with similar content and places them based on algorithmic results into clusters. In Newsmap, the size of each cell is determined by the amount of related articles that exist inside each news cluster that the Google News Aggregator presents. In that way users can quickly identify which news stories have been given the most coverage, viewing the map by region, topic or time. A headline that has appeared in several publications is represented by a large box, while a story that is less widely covered shows up as a smaller square. The boxes are grouped by color into categories like business, entertainment etc. Whichever way you view it, Newsmap displays a very innovative mode of presenting international and local news feeds.

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MN feature | 18 Dec.2012 | by: Constantin Ninos, Esq.
You're a man.

Let's face it; you are a man, ie. you are genetically engineered to be a male. I will NOT discuss dispositions now. They are irrelevant to my argument.

As a man - like any other human being - you'll have to deal with serious stuff ; raising children, losing loved ones, making decisions that no one else wants to, breaking away from people or lifestyles, providing for your loved ones. Add to those the facts that you are probably socially programmed to protect, and respond, as well as work your ass off, and go to extremes in order to make ends meet. Needless to mention the fact that you are called to please in order to mate ; and continue pleasing as a matter of fact.

Let's face it ; you are a man, and a social animal, and you WILL help in propagating this social model till the time ends (or you end, whichever comes first). Believe me, you WILL find yourself applying or teaching the same principles applied or taught to you, to your offspring, regardless of sex.

Hence, what do you do ?

I shall leave the serious stuff in life to you. Those you will know what to do, or as most of us you will find what to do, while in the process. After all, life is, and will always be a school that you don't get to graduate, until you are ready to "depart" from it.

That is not macabre. As soon as you realize the distinctions that you have to make in your life, then there will be more room left for the enjoyment of life's lighter side.

Remember ? There is a lighter side of life. It's when you don't take matters for granted or take things literally. When you do not pursue issues with arrogance, greed or menace. When you hear the ocean waves, you feel the wind brushing against the forest trees ; when you sense the burning of the summer sun on your skin ; when smell, sound, taste and sight come rushing through your sensory organs, demanding your attention.

You are a man, and before - or after - you tackle all those serious stuff that life has in store for you, you need to take care of (or at least not to neglect) the lighter aspects. Don't get distracted, those are still complimentary top your being, although very much essential. They are complimentary because when the shit hits the fan, you do not care about your looks, or how others perceive you. You only want to "solve the problem", "get the job done", or "weather the storm" ; whichever might be the case.

I shall get to the core of my argument now.

Be healthy. That is not complimentary you may think, but may I point you to the fact that you inhabit a pretty awesome piece of machinery, that has the ability to regulate itself and up to a degree, correct most of the mistreatment that you exert on it. If you have screwed-up your machine by now, you should know that 80% it's your fault, and I hope you've had some nice time doing it. If you haven't, you should not get too agitated about it. Work your body, because your body was designed to be healthy only when worked. Don't stress over aging. It happens, and it will happen no matter what you do. Put some effort in maintaining your youthfulness, but beware if you cross the line, you will lose the essence of being older. Madonna is an exception ; NOT the rule. Be active, and avoid most excess conveniences that modern living has provided us with, and my guess is that you shall be alright; getting old the way you're supposed to do. Exercise moderately and support your organism with the nutrients that it needs ; both physical and spiritual.

Don't turn your back on your vices. Vices are good. They supply your way out of situations ; they are your means of enjoyment or perception, your "edge" sometimes. However, vices should not be central or detrimental to your being. Use and apply your vices wisely, and you shall be the "ever-young-bastard", others would like to be. Don't drink too much ; it will kill you. Don't smoke too much ; it will also kill you. Don't screw around too much ; that I do not know what it will do to your existence, but I realize it can be somewhat negative to you keeping a spouse. The realization of your addiction to a thing or course of action, is the first step of you embracing your vice. Do it now, before it is too late.

Eat. Don't do it like there is no tomorrow. You need to savor flavors and experience all that goes with eating socially. Eat with friends, family, or colleagues. Eat to experiment, and to sample a different culture. Eat to please your palate, and to ease your hunger. Try not to eat alone, and avoid eating because you have nothing else to do. Remember that water is more important for your sustenance. I don't think you gulp glass after glass of water everyday (by the way, those of you that do, following some "drink 3 to 4 liters of water per day" principle, bare in mind that there is that thing called "water poisoning"). Prepare your own food, whenever possible. The process is exhilarating.

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17 November, 2012

The Black Pearl in Rotterdam

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