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From the very beginning of his artistic career, John Körmeling has manifested himself as an impetuous, unstoppable and contrary machine of ideas. For the hall of Schiphol West, he made the neon object 'HI HI HA HA', which he says is not about anything. In Diepenheim is the light object 'NEW', which always remains topical. For the Hasselt roundabout in Tilburg, he designed a 'detached terraced house' that slowly turns with the traffic. At the rowing club in Harkstede, a starter's house was designed by him, and elsewhere in our country, too, dozens of idiosyncratic, playful or alternative buildings have risen in recent years that could only be the work of John Körmeling. He also designed the Dutch pavilion at the world exhibition in Shanghai in 2010.

Körmeling is originally an architect. But as an independent thinker, he abhors pigeonholing. With great ease and a great sense of humour, he combines elements of funfairs and amusement parks, one of his fascinations, with architecture and visual art. A common thread in his oeuvre is the denunciation of the separation between living, working and transport that became fashionable in the sixties and seventies of the 20th century.

These crossovers can also be found in the glass house that he designed as a bicycle shed for Scheveningen. The building looks like a pre-war petrol station. Under a large awning, bicycles can be hung up for repair. An efficiently furnished office offers a wide view in all directions. On the roof edge, 'bicycle words' (pedal, spoke, fresh air) and slogans such as 'also for your tyres' flash on and off. The concept and the execution in steel and glass are a perfect example of Körmeling: he is not easily intimidated!