Thứ Ba, 5 tháng 6, 2018

Bruges



Our next destination after Brussels was Bruges. It is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish region of Belgium. 





The city's history made it great, showing still well deserved recognition as a Unesco World Heritage. It is also refereed to as the Venice of the North as it one of the canal-based northern cities. It has significant economic importance thanks to its port and was once one of the world's chief commercial cities. 








The author also came to Bruges as it is well known as the seat of the College of Europe, an elite university institute for European studies regarded as the EU's first Oxbridge. 






Taking history, Bruges was a location of coastal settlement during prehistory. This Bronze Age and Iron Age settlement is unrelated to medieval city development. In the Bruges area, the first fortifications were built after Julius Caesar's conquest of the Menapii in the first century BC, to protect the coastal area against pirates. Then it was took over from the Romas around the 4th century, the Viking incursions of the ninth century prompted Flanders to reinforce the Roman fortifications; trade soon resumed with England and Skandinavia. Early medieval habitation starts in the 9th and 10th century on the Burgh terrain, probably with a fortified settlement and church.







Bruges became important due to the tidal inlet that was important to local commerce. Bruges received its city charter on in 1128, and new walls and canals were built. In 1089 it became the capital of the County of Flanders Since about 1050, gradual silting had caused the city to lose its direct access to the sea. A storm in 1134, however, re-established this access, through the creation of a natural channel at the Zwin. As the city had a strategic location at the crossroads of the northern Hanseatic Legue trade and southern routes. It was already in the circuit of floth fairs at the beginning of 13th century, and then started to develop new forms of mechant capitalism from Italians, employed new forms of economic exchange, including bills of exchange (i.e. promissory notes) and letters of credit. The city welcomed foreign traders, most notably the Portuguese traders selling pepper and other spices. In 1309 mostly likely that the first Stock exchange center which was established and developed into the most sophisticated money market.



For the author, walking through Bruges left the memory of a romantic and inspiring fairy tale with breathing of the past, cobblestone streets leading to countless historical, architectural and artistic works. 

Thứ Tư, 25 tháng 4, 2018







NEWSLETTER
                                              


                                                                                               Ho Chi Minh City, dated 25 April 2018

I. New Partners and Projects



Since 17 September 2017, ID Groups has joined the Landscape Architecture Association in Ho Chi Minh City. ID Group’s role is the honourable chairing of the Association.

ID Groups has been also active member and contributor of London Institute of Architects (Policy Working Group), Australian Architecture Society and Vietnamese Associations (Ho Chi Minh City’s and Vietnam’s Architects' Associations and Ho Chi Minh City Urban Planning Association).

II. Activities

In November 2017, ID Groups' delegation attended the Green Urbanscape Asia 2017 in Singapore. This was 3rd international exhibition and conference on Lanscape leisure, Greenery design and Construction technology. Our team met and exchanged with representatives of Singapore Institute of Lanscape Architects (SILA) and discussed potential exchanges, cooperation in information-sharing and capacity building. ID Groups also attended several technical tours around Singapore to experience different perspectives of skyrise greenery through experiential learning and exploring how colleagues push the boundaries of greenery design.

III. Capacity building and trainings

1. Heritage preservation trainings
Since April-October 2017, ID Groups experts have conducted training for a group of last-year urban design students of University of Architecture to research the ancient An Hoi Town in Hue City. 
The focus of the training was to help the group to find out a solution on existing residential quarter to preserve heritate values and facilitate local tourism economy. 
The final results were presented in the reports of the graduation projects. The graduates will continue to apply the knowlegde gained during the trainings and their results in their career and urban management process.

2. Guiding on urban planning on resorts and new town development projects
Guiding the thesis from developing innitial notions into more practical and sustainable solutions-oriented concepts, exploring local cultural and historical values, natural conditions and transfering them into spacial solutions which will bring more potential economic benefits to the developers and local authorities.


IV. Ideas’ corner
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a French aristocrat, writer of the famous novella “The Little Prince”, pioneering aviator and poet known for his lyrical aviation writings such as “Wind, Sand and Stars”, publicist for Air France, Aeropostale’s successor. He has blessed us and inspired IG Groups team members not only with his literary works but also for his great quote: "A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind". Take an example of single piece of marble became the Virgin Mary and her son, Jesus Christ - the Pieta sculptured by Michelangelo and it became one of the most beautiful statutes of the world. The art shows the great detail in the faces of the Virgin Mary and her son. Michelangelo's mind, determination and patience created universal and artistic legacy for humankind. 
What about you and your notions, thoughts for April. Have you shared with us and have we taken efforts to pile together your concepts into great IDEAS? 

Thank you and on behalf of ID GROUPS TEAM, we wish you all the best and  blooming April holidays ahead!



Chủ Nhật, 19 tháng 11, 2017

The City of Ghent

Ghent is the Europe’s kept secret but, surprisingly to us, combined with vibrant contemporary art streets.





The City’s medieval heritage is very well preserved and restored, making spectacular impressions for the Eastern travelers’ eyes, hungry and overwhelmed with fabulous majestic open air streets, unique medieval castles, churches and old merchant houses.









There are so many riverside quirky bars, restaurants with local specialties and most authentic shops in Ghent that you would think of being lost in a  painting. No wonder why Ghent is called a true gem in the Flanders’ region of Belgium, with the belfry recognised by UNESCO.




It was our real pleasure to walk through you, Ghent and we hope to come back next year. We will never forget the moment of chilling on the terrace, the canal bankside, appreciating your evening twilight and views of charming white boats and unique Flemish windows!

Loving Vincent

Loving Vincent, first fully oil-painted film directed by Hugh Welchman and Dorota Kobieta. It has been released first in Canada, Poland and Vietnam.
Did you know that each of the film's 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas, using the same technique as Vincent van Gogh and created by a team of 120 painters? We are also very proud to learn that many Poles contributed to the film, knowing their great animation skills. Great creation of the song written by Don McLean and performed by Lianne La Havas for the motion picture keeps beating in our souls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp5qJlr4go0



"What am I in the eyes of most people - a nonentity, an nonentity, an eccentric, or an unpleasant person - somebody who has no position in society and will never have; in short, the lowest of the low.
All right, then - event if that were absolutely true, then I should one day like to show by my work what such an eccentric, such a nobody, has in his heart. That is my ambition, based less on resentment that on love in spite of everything, based more on a feeling of serenity than on passion. Though I am often in depths of misery, here is still calmness, pure harmony and music inside me. I see paintings or drawings in the poorest cottages, in the dirtiest corners. All my mind is driven towards these things with an irresistible momentum" - Vincent van Gogh.

Now we know that his colors and paintings speak his dreams and he painted his dreams. He is going to be our inspiration and the leading star to paint our own IDEAS today.