R204DESIGN’s entry for the World Sustainability Competition held in the Netherlands. The concept was focused on extracting inspiration from nature’s processes. The program  called for the facilities of a top-level research institute and showcase for the latest inventions, products and ideas.

The World Sustainability Centre: Afsluitdijk

Given the scale of opportunity presented by the site, as well as the ambitions of the Sustainability Centre Foundation and Dutch Government, our approach takes a step back, and begins with an overall vision for the planning and development for the region. The primary vision: Create a vehicle that will inspire and move the human race toward a symbiotic relationship with its host planet.

Site and Overall Development Vision

Along with the stated vision, we determined the proposed solution for the purposes of this competition would also achieve the following:

• Environmental sustainability: Become a prototypical example to the world on how to harmoniously work with nature in the context of a difficult site such as the Afsluitdijk;
• Historic sustainability: Pass on the great heritage of Dutch water engineering and technology to future generations;
• Economic sustainability: Serve as a catalyst for public and private sector growth and development for the surrounding region;
• Social sustainability: Naturally address fundamental human needs, such as connection, curiosity, and imagination;
• Iconic sustainability: Stand the test of time, as well as provide an identity of this location as a centre of knowledge in the world;
• Flexibility and scalability: Provide room for natural growth, as well as the ability to scale back on inefficiencies.

The overall planning of the centre is focused on 2 user types, Inhabitants and Visitors.

Goal for Inhabitants: To provide high-end research and presentation facilities for a diverse group of scientific disciplines, maximizing the potential for synergies between the various combinations and continual sharing of information and inspiration. And to also provide adequate living facilities for short and long term periods.

Goal for Visitors: To provide an engaging, interactive, immersive, and ever-changing experience that instills the fascinating potential of nature to address human problems, with the ultimate goal of moving people from inspiration to action.

The resulting proposal is a series of 6 “Ecopelagos” or man-made island groups distributed across the length of the dike, branching out from the main road, each with their own theme of sustainable research. Each zone is a “planted seed”, encouraging public and private sector development within the framework of the theme for each group. The entire group of islands will be collectively known as The Afsluitdijk World Sustainability Centre. The overall planning effort aims to create the “Silicon Valley” of sustainable technologies, encouraging an atmosphere of research and competition, while boosting the local economy. In addition, selected portions of the islands will be dedicated to year-round tourist attractions, with the expressed goal of increasing global awareness and promoting environmentally-friendly travel and tourism. Every 500 days, the Centre will host the World Sustainability Expo, A global event bringing the most innovative companies, organizations, and the world’s top minds together for a world exposition and imaginative showcase of the latest in sustainable technologies.

The design and planning of the Ecopelagos would involve 2 types of islands: one type would serve as fortification to the existing Afsluitdijk dam, located along the length of the dike, strengthening it, and the other type would be a floating foundational structure, designed to rise with the tides. It is known that any type of development in and around a water body will have serious negative impacts to the local ecology, therefore an in-depth study into a new, experimental, habitat friendly, aquatic foundation system would be required.

All of the zones will be self-sustaining and all connected by a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) System serving all users, facilitating collaboration between the different zones.

The 6 zones include:

1. Sun: Research Centre and support facilities dedicated to the advancement of solar technologies. In this grouping includes a solar garden, a vast sculptural garden to explore, made entirely of sun collecting devices.

2. Wind: Dedicated to the advancement of turbine technologies and harvesting the power of the wind. Among the attractions here is Windmill Island, a surreal landscape comprised of wind farms.

3. Water: Research facilities and attractions dedicated to the energy, conservation and management of water. Attraction Electrolysis Plant, The Hydroelectric Research Centre, as well as The Museum of Dutch Engineering.

4. Land: Dedicated to researching and sharing knowledge on geothermal studies, and environmental infrastructure projects
5. Life: Dedicated to the study of flora, fauna and local marine life and habitats. The Centre would provide facilities for marine biologists, research on biofuels, as well as the World Headquarters for the Biomimicry Institute.

6. Earth: The heart of the World Sustainability Centre, housing the Visitors Centre, exhibit halls, theaters, learning facilities, parks, gardens, as well as the Research Centre for Global Warming.

The Visitors Centre

Serving as the heart of the entire complex, The Visitors Centre will orient first-time visitors, and host a variety of international events with a large auditorium and exhibition hall.

The formal architectural concept behind the building is about capturing a moment, or the process of a water lily as it emerges from the water. The reasoning behind this is the attention it brings to Biomimicry, which involves emulating, or taking inspiration from natural systems to address human problems in a truly sustainable manner. All effective sustainable technologies are moving in only one direction- toward models, processes and systems that more closely resemble how the natural world functions. For example, Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC), are solar cells that mimic photosynthetic dyes and processes to generate solar energy more cost effectively than silicon-based photovoltaics- the inspiration behind this was the age-old, natural process of photosynthesis.

Our proposal for the entire complex involves a ground up, sustainable design process and team that will utilize the principles of Biomimicry from initial planning, to design and construction, all the way through post-occupancy management and maintenance.

“After 3.8 billion years of research and development, failures are fossils, and what surrounds us is the secret to survival.” -Janine Benyus, President of the Biomimicry Institute.