SPEAKER – PIET POSTEMA (RCW Director Community Service projects)

Piet is a QS and one of his favourite hobbies is photography. His presentation on Friday was stunning, a visual feast of history and architecture perfectly blended, captivating all who attended. 

“Two European countries we hadn’t explored as yet were Portugal and Spain so we signed up for separate coach tour’s of both countries, Portugal was an 11 day trip and Spain a 15 day trip. I am always amazed from a construction perspective of the architecture and the construction challenges of some of the iconic buildings we visited. Whilst both countries have incredible structures, some dating back centuries and other very modern structures were fascinating for me, particularly in Spain. Whilst we experienced the effects of the wild fires in northern Portugal we fortunately missed the floods in Valencia.”

Apparently, Valencia suffered a similar deadly flood in October 1957 caused by the same seasonal weather phenomenon known as a Gota Fria or a Cold Drop. That disaster killed dozens of people when the Turia burst its banks in the crowded neighborhoods of Valencia city. The pics above show the construction on the old river site, after the river was re-routed.