* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #830 / Revived #050 on 2024 03 13 *

Some of the processing on this one has gone a bit mad. The original image you posted just after is SO good, just stick with it! More colorful, richer in detail, better composed. Love how the river rises from the lower right corner and moves the eye up then we travel horizontally across the rest of the frame. The travertine tower on the left border is nice too. The details of the city with its classic terra cotta roofs, and the gorgeous rock formations are fun to explore. Really nice image.

Apartment building Zaandam - Netherlands. Compilation of traditional historical houses

Enlarge: click image, click black arrow.
Thank you Lou

Hello Lou,

In a way it is a pity that you post this image only on Monday, when traditionally the C&C activity in our thread is slowly grinding to a halt, in order to make the leap to Wednesday with fresh images and ideas.
It is quite possible that you do not get much feedback on this image that does deserve some attention.
I hope that you have more images to share of this amazing architectural marvel, and that you can serve them up earlier in our C&C week (that starts Wednesday).

I have never seen this structure myself (although it features, I believe, in "Best Buildings Holland", a book I contributed almost half of the images to), but I would really like to walk around it and explore. The idea to create an apartment block (and/or hotel) that is a unified structure on the interior, but looks like a mass of jumbled-together small houses and traditional structures on the exterior, is a great concept, and it is executed perfectly here.

Your image stands out, for two main reasons:
1) we get a view from a bit further away, showing us how this building integrates between the "real" old houses with similar features surrounding it
2) you show us the building in B&W, while most images I have seen before, are in colour, to emphasize the vivacity of the colour scheme (where the so-called "individual houses" are separated not only by shape but also by colour.

I do hope dearly that you made a lot of images there and are willing to share some more with us in next weeks. It is a subject that merits exploration, even in an essay with multiple images.

At first, I didn't believe this. I thought that Lou had been playing with Photoshop. I looked very closely and was impressed with his skills. Maybe this building is for real? Some Google searching convinced me. This is real.
Lou's photo does a good job of bringing out the lavish details. His angle is well chosen and ensures we pick up on the layered facades and the overhangs. The angle, lower and offset from the corner, shows the depth of the building. This is important, the concoction isn't just a facade.
A particularly fine piece of architectural reporting.

Thanks, Minnie.

Rich

Oops a bit late again...

Thanks Pete, Mike, Roel, Chris, Minnie,

I've had my camera for just over a year now. I don't think I've had an opportunity for a shot like that before. It just presented. I couldn't have moved or it would have flown away. Even raising the camera I was deliberately slow in case I spooked it.

I too hope you can post some more of this intriguing building. Would be good to see the coloured versions.

Very interesting effect. I don't know how you got the metalwork to be soft and not dominate. Also the grain is not overly visible until viewed 1:1 where it takes over the scene.