Universities | The Guardian

‘Dutch by default’: Netherlands seeks curbs on English-language university courses

Education bill to require two-thirds of content for standard bachelor’s degrees to be in Dutch

As Britain voted to leave the EU, Dutch universities began offering more courses in English and foreigners streamed in.

But with 122,287 international students in higher education in the Netherlands – 15% of all the country’s students – the government is proposing a cap on the number of students from outside the European Economic Area in some subjects and forcing universities to offer at least two-thirds of the content of standard bachelor’s degrees in Dutch, unless a university justifies an exemption.

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Design Milk

A Modern Netherlands Penthouse With Panoramic Views

Bureau Fraai designed this modern penthouse with panoramic views that include both the sea and city in the Netherlands. The Panorama Penthouse apartment resides in an old office building that was transformed into a high-end residential building. The design plan required come creative thinking as they wanted to preserve the 180-degree views from all spaces. To make that happen, they designed free-standing oak structures to create an open layout. The four floating volumes disguise an office, walk-in closet, primary bathroom, and sauna. By being positioned as they are, they create privacy for both the primary and guest bedrooms, while still remaining open to the views.

Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the outstanding views no matter where one stands.

The living room rests on an elevated wooden platform framed by an outer bookcase. The sectional sofa is positioned toward the windows where one can gaze at the city’s sights.

The overall apartment’s design leans towards minimalism with a white and light grey color palette. The wooden platform and volumes, along with the plants resting atop the structures, warm the space up.

Both the office and sauna volumes have windows that allow natural light into the closed spaces.

A media and lounge room bisects the lower level terraces but has sliding glass doors on both sides that open it up to the outdoors.

Sliding steel and glass doors close between the volumes to give the primary bedroom privacy. The walk-in closet is directly behind the bed, with the bathroom on the left and office on the right.

Just off the guest bedroom is the sauna which features windows on one side facing the perimeter windows so one can enjoy the views while in there.

Photos by Flare Department.