Dutch Windwheel
The Dutch Windwheel is an initiative of the Windwheel Corporation: a consortium of Rotterdam based companies BLOC, DoepelStrijkers and Meysters. In close collaboration with leading companies and research institutes, they have set up an alliance to find solutions for the economy of the future.
Read moreOur goal
To develop a super-sexy sustainable building that everyone loves.This is not a building
Sixteen companies and research institutes have joined forces to develop the Dutch Windwheel: AM, Royal BAM Group, Deltares, Dura Vermeer, ECN, Eneco, Evides, Huawei, InnovationQuarter, Mammoet, PNO, Siemens, SPIE, TNO, and the Windwheel Corporation. They are aiming to combine, scale and market a wide variety of promising technological innovations at the nexus of water, energy, and building technology.
This programme comprises R&D projects for local energy production (including EWICON technology, solar and residual heat, and heat exchange), a closed water system, the development of a smart grid, a smart skin and an integrated smart city concept. It also uses materials and internet-of things technology to enhance the attractiveness of the Dutch Windwheel and its environment. All these products will be tested and developed in the Rotterdam region, using field labs like the Green Village in Delft and the Merwe Vier Harbour in Rotterdam.
"Only in the Netherlands would someone wants to turn a wind turbine into a futuristic tourist attraction."
(Fast Company)
Upgradeable building
The Windwheel is an attraction with unprecedented global reach and a showcase for Dutch design and innovation. The eyecatching 174-metre double-ring construction serves a diversity of functions. The outer ring houses a giant roller coaster of 40 rotating capsules on a rail system, while the inner is an innovative windmill housing a top-class panoramic restaurant, a sky lobby and hotel, apartments and properties for commercial use. The Windwheel will be a dynamic building that is upgradeable after it is built. It sets a new standard in the field of sustainable development and serves as a showcase for climate architecture and smart city development.
Global reach
The global value of the Dutch Windwheel has already been recognized. The launch in June 2015 was broadcast on the Chinese news channel CNC, and the structure has featured in over 1,000 publications in more than 100 countries, including Forbes, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Daily Mail, FastCompany, Business Insider, Die Welt, Smithsonian and Le Monde. Several investors have expressed interest in the development of a Windwheel-like concept in other cities including New York, Las Vegas, Macau and Dubai.
Jos Vranken, the director of the tourism bureau NBTC Holland Marketing, says:
"The Dutch Windwheel is part of a wider and highly intriguing narrative, connecting past, present and future, deeply rooted in our DNA and strengthening our international positioning."
