A Green Deal for the Dutch Windwheel 2.0

International eye-catcher

In mid-2015 the Rotterdam companies BLOC, DoepelStrijkers and Meysters presented the plan for the Dutch Windwheel: an iconic building that will not only contain residential units, but also an attraction. The radical design maximally embraces the possibilities of energy production and experience. It was designed for systematic innovation and reuse and will be built with materials sourced from the Rotterdam region. The philosophy behind the Dutch Windwheel has since reached all corners of the globe: it has received far-reaching international media exposure and was even featured on the Chinese news. By constructing a building as circular, sustainable and healthy as this while achieving the highest energy-producing capacity possible, the initiators expressed the ambition of equipping the Dutch Windwheel with advanced technological solutions, some of which are still in their further development stages.

Innovation partners

The development of these technologies is currently in the hands of an innovation consortium composed of Arup, Royal BAM Group, Deltares, Dura Vermeer, ECN, Eneco, Evides, Siemens, SPIE, TNO and the Windwheel Corporation (in which the Rotterdam-based companies BLOC, DoepelStrijkers and Meysters are represented). The goal of the consortium is to drastically improve the quality and sustainability of buildings through the use of climate architecture and advanced technology. The innovation partners are supported by InnovationQuarter, NBTC Holland Marketing, PNO and Rotterdam Partners.

New design

Based partly on the results obtained by the innovation consortium, giant strides forward have been made over the past few months in the iconic building’s design. The principal characteristics of the Dutch Windwheel have been preserved in the latest version of the plan, which was designed under the leadership of DoepelStrijkers and Arup. In addition to this, the building complex will still retain its original functions, including an attraction that consists of cabins (similar to those of a Ferris wheel) that will transport visitors to the highest point of the Dutch Windwheel. The construction aspects have been optimised in the design, and the circular principles for the use of materials and the climate, water and energy systems have been extensively worked out.

Public support

Various public-sector organisations embrace the consortium’s ambitions. The Dutch Windwheel is referred to in the regional Roadmap Next Economy as a supporting project for system breakthroughs The project has been proclaimed a regional ‘field lab’ and both the Rotterdam - The Hague metropolitan region and the Municipality of Rotterdam will be contributing to testing the innovations in the region, with a view to ultimately bringing these to the international market. By signing the Green Deal, the Municipality of Rotterdam, the Province of Zuid-Holland and the Dutch government will be endorsing the potential of the project for the regional economy and employment. The Green Deal comprises the starting point for an investigation into the project’s financial feasibility, its operational possibilities and site-specific requirements. 

Contact:

• Lennart Graaff, Windwheel Corporation / BLOC, project director, lennart@bloc.nl;
• Duzan Doepel, Windwheel Corporation / DoepelStrijkers, principle architect, duzan@doepelstrijkers.com;
• Johan Mellegers, Windwheel Corporation / Meysters, commercial director, johan@dutchwindwheel.com.

More information about the innovation partners

Arup

Arup is an independent organisation of designers, engineers, consultants and technical specialists offering a broad range of professional services. The organisation has extensive international experience with revolutionary, iconic buildings.

Koninklijke BAM Groep

Royal BAM Group: Building the present, creating the future.

Deltares

Deltares is an independent institute for applied research in the field of water and subsurface. The institute is internationally active in the field of smart solutions, innovations and applications for people, the environment and society.

Evides Waterbedrijf

Evides Waterbedrijf supplies 2.5 million consumers and companies with drinking water in the south-western part of the Netherlands: Zuid-Holland, Zeeland and the western part of Noord-Brabant. Additionally, Evides supplies various types of water to industrial companies in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany and is active in the field of water treatment. The combination of drinking water, waste water and industrial water activities allows Evides to focus on continually improving methods for obtaining, purifying and supplying water – and for reusing it wherever possible.

Dura Vermeer

Dura Vermeer is active in construction, infrastructure, engineering and services. The company develops, realises and handles the operational aspects of projects commissioned by third parties, at their own risk. Dura Vermeer distinguishes itself from the competition through its innovative approach. Together with its partners, the company offers acclaimed, integrated and sustainable solutions for a wide range of building projects.

ECN

ECN (Energy research Centre of the Netherlands)is the Netherlands’ leading research institute in the field of energy. With a workforce of 500, ECN is actively engaged in projects in the Netherlands and abroad in partnership with the industry, the public sector and other research institutes.

Eneco

Eneco: Welcome to a new world. 

Siemens

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a leading global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, the company is world leader in the field of solutions for the efficient generation and transmission of energy. Siemens is a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industrial applications. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT.

SPIE Nederland

SPIE Nederland is a subsidiary of the SPIE Group, the number one independent European leader in multi-technical services in the field of energy and communication. SPIE Nederland advises and assists its customers in the design, construction and operation of network systems and energy installations, infrastructure systems, industrial plants and building installations.

TNO

The primary goal of TNO, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, is to create a built-up environment that produces its own energy in conjunction with its partners in the chain. Innovative partnerships such as the Dutch Windwheel concept are crucial to attaining this objective.

Windwheel Corporation

The consortium that has taken the initiative for the Dutch Windwheel is composed of three Rotterdam-based companies BLOC, DoepelStrijkers en Meysters.

InnovationQuarter, NBTC Holland Marketing and Rotterdam Partners are the project’s marketing partners.