Beyond the intentions
Dutch Windwheel Cooperation Agreement Signed
In mid-2015, Rotterdam companies BLOC, DoepelStrijkers, and Meysters presented their plan for the Dutch Windwheel: a 174-meter-high building comprising two rings and containing, among numerous features, homes and a tourist attraction. The Dutch Windwheel employs advanced, efficient technological solutions that may require further development. The Dutch Windwheel Innovation Programme Foundation was established on Tuesday November 29th.Dutch Windwheel Innovation Programme Foundation
The innovation consortium consists of Arup, Koninklijke BAM Groep, Deltares, Dura Vermeer, ECN, Eneco, Evides, Huawei, Mammoet, Siemens, SPIE, TNO and the Windwheel Corporation (in which BLOC, DoepelStrijkers and Meysters are represented). The objective of the consortium is to significantly increase the quality and sustainability of buildings using radical designs and technology. The South Holland regional development company, InnovationQuarter, supports the consortium as an independent driving force. Collaboration will also take place with The Green Village, PNO, Rotterdam Partners, and NBTC Holland Marketing.
An Adaptable Building
Using new technologies and business models, a building is being developed that continues adapting to the times. This includes attention to the varying lifespan of building components, and the increasing potential of buildings to generate their own energy. The objective is, by 2025, to realise a building that produces more energy than it consumes, and that is flexible in use. The Innovation Programme accounts for such advances in technology, as they become more efficient and increasingly beneficial over time.
Interest from Foreign Investors
The Innovation Programme for the Dutch Windwheel is an important basis for developing an iconic location in Rotterdam. Project founders are in discussion with foreign investment companies, who have expressed interest in financing the Dutch Windwheel and its innovative products and services.
Embraced by the Public
Authorities in the region embrace the objectives of the consortium. The Dutch Windwheel has been appointed regional ‘field lab’. The metropolitan regions of Rotterdam and The Hague, and the Rotterdam City Council, are dedicated to testing such innovations. The Dutch Windwheel is earmarked as a project supporting system breakthroughs in the regional ‘Roadmap Next Economy’. Finally, a Green Deal will be signed at the start of 2017, cementing the contribution of the provinces and the state to the proposed innovations.
More information is available on www.dutchwindwheel.com.