News
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The London Boulevard Using Virtual Reality as a tool for engagement
The Witteveen+Bos office in London has worked with teams in the Netherlands to produce Dutch-style cycling infrastructure designs to support London Cycling Campaign’s London Boulevard initiative. We developed these designs into a 3D model and produced a Virtual Reality (VR) street simulation, so stakeholders can experience the look and feel of the future London Boulevard. The London Boulevard is a proposed 2-km-long East-West route in central London that will promote walking, cycling and public transport. The current corridor is heavily trafficked, busy and polluted. Collisions between motor vehicles and pedestrians are frequent, especially at junctions. Conditions for walking and cycling are unpleasant with no dedicated space for cycling – yet it is one of the city’s busiest East-West cycling routes for commuters. Our designs propose creating separate cycle lanes and safer junctions, and improving public spaces with greenery and seats to encourage people to stay in the area. Using VR, we set out to show what a key junction would look like when the proposals are implemented. Unlike plans and visualisations from one perspective, a VR simulation is instantly understandable and is therefore much more effective and inclusive than traditional methods as a means of engaging with people’s views and ideas. VR makes it easy to imagine how the suggested changes would result in more businesses opening up and public spaces being created and enjoyed. If implemented, the London Boulevard will transform a key walking and cycling route and serve as a flagship of London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s new ‘Healthy Streets’ programme. Using Virtual Reality as a tool for engagement on this project has attracted very positive media coverage and enthusiasm from the people who have already tried it out. We were recently shortlisted for the Best Innovation Award at the 2017 Healthy Streets Awards. The positive response to this tool really demonstrates the importance of applying Witteveen+Bos’ sustainable design principles by developing multifunctional, flexible, participatory and societal designs. + amanda.gregor@witteveenbos.com
Floris Kaayk wins Art+Technology Award 2017 Dutch digital artist Floris Kaayk (1982) is the winner of this year’s Witteveen+Bos Art+Technology Award. Floris Kaayk (born in 1982 in Tiel, The Netherlands) is receiving the prize for his entire oeuvre. He graduated cum laude from the animation department of AKV | St. Joost School of Fine Art and Design in Breda, and gained a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam. Kaayk is a master in creating futuristic fairy tales and nightmares, which often engage a wide audience thanks to his inventive use of various digital platforms. Through his work, he encourages people to reflect on technological developments and their possible consequences. Witteveen+Bos presented the Award on 2 November 2017 in the Bergkerk Church in
Deventer, the Netherlands, where Floris Kaayk also opened a retrospective exhibition of his projects. The Art+Technology Award consists of a cash prize of € 15,000, a publication on the winning artist’s oeuvre, and a month-long exhibition. The jury is full of praise for Kaayk’s work: ‘He balances precariously between science fact and science fiction, confronting his audience with their own credulity, fears and limitations, while also revealing the political and societal implications of our common ambitions for the future.’ By presenting the Art+Technology Award to Floris Kaayk, the jury is for the first time honouring an artist who actively uses the Internet and social media as essential elements in his work. + communications@witteveenbos.com
Winning design Sports park on Heizel Plateau in Brussels
Together with Zwarts & Jansma Architects and the landscape architects of OMGEVING and ARA, Witteveen+Bos has won the design competition for a new sports park on the Heizel Plateau in Brussels. The project brief calls for the restructuring of existing sports facilities and the creation of new functions, such as the conversion of a sports centre and the realisation of a club building and an underground car park. The sports park is located near the Atomium on the former grounds of the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair (Expo 58). The winning design is landscape-based and organic, and offers a marked contrast with the straight lines currently dominating the surroundings. Particular attention has been devoted to making intelligent use of the significant differences in elevation. In addition to the public area, there will be an athletics track, a special course for runners and joggers, sports fields, and a public water playground. The sports buildings will have glass facades that will make them stand out in the surroundings. The underground car park has a split-level floor that slopes downward from the entrance, and a park will be created on its roof. John Ros, project leader for Witteveen+Bos: ‘We really enjoyed working together with a wonderful team to create the prize-winning design. We focused mainly on the structural and installation engineering design of the buildings and the underground car park. The preliminary design phase has now been completed. We will continue working to ensure the success of this project, right up to the realisation phase.’ + john.ros@witteveenbos.com
Solutions for traffic jams in Belgium The Flemish Roads and Traffic Agency has commissioned Witteveen+Bos to help improve traffic throughflow at a number of junctions in and around the city of Kortrijk. The contract was awarded to Witteveen+Bos and local partner TML (Transport & Mobility Leuven) on account of the favourable pricequality ratio offered by this consortium. In the current situation, traffic jams arise frequently at various locations in the Kortrijk area. These problems have a number of causes. For instance, the Kortrijk-South and Kortrijk-East junctions are not optimally designed because
the R8 ring road is not completely closed. In addition, plans call for various network and spatial developments in the Kortrijk area. This is expected to lead to increased congestion at a number of junctions. In their current form, the junctions will no longer be able to handle traffic flows in future. In its capacity as the responsible road management authority, the Roads and Traffic Agency wants to prevent these problems by investigating the impact that network and spatial developments will have on traffic flows. The aim of the project is to make a transparent, carefully substantiated assessment that will result in widely
supported preferred solutions for the junctions involved. In the first phase, we will analyse the current traffic situation and examine the feasibility of the various scenarios by performing a multi-criteria analysis. In early 2018, we will start producing a preliminary design that will enable an assessment of the space required for the alteration or expansion of the traffic junctions. We will simultaneously prepare an overview of optional minor traffic measures that can be implemented quickly to alleviate congestion in the short term. + kristof.myncke@witteveenbos.com
Ecological system analysis Improving water quality in Pandan Reservoir, Singapore
Singapore’s population, which stands at 5.5 million today, is expected to grow to 6.9 million by 2030. This growth is putting pressure on the country’s resources, such as the available land and the water supply. As the demand for water continues to increase, it is important to maintain and restore good water quality, especially in local catchment areas. Singapore has defined catchments as one of the four ‘National Taps’ (key water sources) managed by the Public Utilities Board (PUB). This would require sustainable management of reservoirs and greater investments to improve and ensure good water quality. However, the role of water quality is not yet fully understood at present. Witteveen+Bos South-East Asia is currently conducting a research project to assess the applicability of an approach to ecological system analysis developed in the Netherlands, with the aim of
gaining more insight into water quality. The project includes training in ecological system analysis to PUB personnel, and offers a more integral perspective on water quality management through workshops by our specialists. The second stage of the project involves performing a system analysis for a case study examining the Pandan Reservoir. This reservoir has a less hydrologically complex system, allowing for a better and clearer illustration of the approach. Located in the south-west of Singapore’s main island Pulau Ujong, the Pandan Reservoir was built in 1974 by enclosing the swamps of Sungei Pandan estuary with a 6.2-km-long dike. It has an approximate area of 1.7 km2, and is a service reservoir that supplies water to PUB’s Chou Chu Kang water treatment plant. The application of system analysis will help to gain more insight into the processes that determine water quality in the Pandan Reservoir.
The conceptual framework of the Ecological Key Factors (EKFs) is used to structure the assessment of water quality, and will help to identify (cost)effective measures for improving water quality in the Pandan Reservoir. As the project approaches its second stage, the concept of system analysis has so far been received with great enthusiasm by the Public Utilities Board. Further applications and analyses using the system analysis approach have been planned for the final leg of the project, and are expected to greatly improve the efficiency of water quality management. Developments at different reservoirs throughout Singapore will also be better understood now, thanks to the application of system analysis. + sin.hui.wee@witteveenbos.com
Smart Integrated Construction System
Development programme to boost construction productivity in Singapore Witteveen+Bos is collaborating with Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on the development of a Smart Integrated Construction System (SICS) for the Singapore Housing & Development Board (HDB). Among other things, the SICS system comprises an automated tower crane. The HDB is Singapore’s public housing authority and HDB flats are home to over 80 % of Singapore’s resident population. Smart construction solutions will enable HDB to build more productively and achieve better quality. In September 2017 the HDB awarded the assignment for the development of the SICS to the NTU. Witteveen+Bos is contributing to the project as key collaborator within the NTU team. The Smart Integrated Construction System comprises three modules: • Smart Crane System (SCS) • Integrated Building Information System (IBIS) • Smart Tracking System (STS). The IBIS is the core of the SICS, and will be developed by Witteveen+Bos. IBIS will be the central digital database, and
serve as a collaborative workspace. Using three-dimensional models of HDB projects as their source of building information, industry partners in the entire construction supply chain can enter real-time information and project progress updates from their dispersed locations. This set-up streamlines information and speeds up data sharing among the different partners, including architects, contractors, pre-casters and construction material suppliers, enabling them to better keep track of budgets and timelines. Witteveen+Bos will build upon its extensive knowledge in general building construction, automated construction (3D concrete printing), 3D and 4D BIM models, data exchange models, and open data protocols. The SICS modules are ideally suited for the construction of high-rise buildings like the HDB flats, due to their pre-cast (prefabricated) character, the repetitive floor levels, and the focus on tower cranes. Witteveen+Bos is proud to be a part of this highly innovative development programme, and is eager to help HDB realise its ambition of increasing construction productivity. + jordy.vos@witteveenbos.com
Witteveen+Bos News November 2017
Songwe River Basin management Tanzania and Malawi
In September 2017, Witteveen+Bos started an integrated water and natural resources management project for the African Development Bank. The project focuses on the Songwe River Basin in Malawi and Tanzania. Although the river is the formal border between these two countries, its river bed is not fixed. Its 4,200 km2 catchment area is home to approximately 400,000 people, important agricultural areas located mainly on the flood plains, and two forested regions in the upper catchment. In addition, the river flows into Lake Malawi, providing a much-needed supply of fresh water and migration routes for fish. Due to population increase, changes in land use, climate change and other factors, the Songwe catchment area is threatened by environmental degradation. The objective of the project is to enhance basin protection, help local residents earn a livelihood, and support integrated water resources management through improved transboundary cooperation and sustained ecosystem services. The project consists of four components: • Enhancing transboundary management and institutional capacity
• Improving early warning, disaster risk management and monitoring measures • Community-based demonstrations in Integrated Natural Resources Management (INRM) and conservation • Knowledge, monitoring and evaluation. Witteveen+Bos is responsible for the project design and the proposal for long-term project funding to be provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project will be jointly implemented by the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Malawi through the Interim Secretariat of the Songwe River Basin Commission. Stakeholder support and institutional implementation are therefore key aspects: ensuring the commitment of both governments, a capable River Basin committee with a clear mandate, and strong support from local communities. The GEF-funded project is part of the wider Songwe River Basin Development Programme, which aims to support sustainable socioeconomic growth and poverty alleviation in the entire basin. + leon.valkenburg@witteveenbos.com
Water4Virunga
Reducing conflict by increasing access to water Witteveen+Bos is one of the partners in the Water4Virunga project. The project area is the Virunga volcano landscape in Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. This area has experienced a number of conflicts during the past decades. The aim of the project is to reduce conflict through increased access to water and improved watershed management in the Virunga landscape. Our project partners are MDF Training & Consultancy, Wageningen University & Research (WUR), and the International Gorilla Conservation Programme. The project is financed by the Dutch embassy in Rwanda, and will be carried out in close coordination with the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration programme and other relevant local partners. The Virunga landscape is famous for the mountain gorillas that live at high altitude in nature conservation parks. Rainwater infiltrates into the porous volcanic rocks. There are several sources and rivers in the lower-altitude areas, but local residents face water shortages in higher-lying regions. As a result, the local population is illegally entering the Virunga National Park to obtain water from small sources and swamps. Water4Virunga will contribute to regional stability through improved security and inclusive
Witteveen+Bos News November 2017
growth by facilitating collective action at various levels to: • Improve access to water; for example by implementing new water schemes, extending existing schemes with new tap points, and building rainwater harvesting tanks • Implement integrated water management measures (preventing erosion flooding, providing water for cattle) • Strengthen organisations that operate and manage water distribution systems • Bring people together around water issues – within communities, between communities, and across international borders • Transform water-related conflicts through improved delivery of water services and integrated water resource management. In October 2017, the project was officially launched in Congo and Uganda. The specific responsibilities of Witteveen+Bos are performing a data inventory, selecting intervention areas, producing designs, conducting a technical feasibility assessment, organising surveys, preparing tender documents, supervising the performance of work, and taking care of technical training and management. + jaap.klein@witteveenbos.com
Innovative entrepreneurship In order to promote entrepreneurship, Witteveen+Bos has defined ‘innovation’ as a spearhead. In 2017, we set up the Plus+ innovation programme to develop new and relevant ideas, convert them quickly into market-ready products, and help our employees apply them. The main element of the programme was an innovation competition: we asked all 1,100 Witteveen+Bos employees to submit innovative ideas through an online platform specially set up for this purpose. So-called ‘hubs’ and ‘campaigns’ have been defined to support this process. Hubs are existing networks related to our business lines. For each hub, a vision has been formulated and a campaign set up. All submitted ideas were assigned to a specific campaign. The following hubs and campaigns were defined: • Smart Cities: How can we predict and generate the perfect city? • Smart Deltas: How can we engineer, inspect and maintain our deltas in the most cost-efficient manner? • Smart Cycles: How can we identify, specify and develop sustainable closed cycles within our sector?
• Smart Infra and Mobility: How can we engineer resilient and adaptive infrastructure to empower communities? • Smart Company: How can we work as a future-oriented engineering firm? A total of 170 innovation ideas were submitted by 170 teams with over 400 Witteveen+Bos employees as members. The large number of submissions presented quite a challenge for the jury, who eventually selected 16 ideas to proceed in the ‘accelerator phase’. This three-month programme offered guidance and expertise to the teams, as well as an opportunity to develop their ideas. The results of the accelerator phase were presented at our TKB staff meeting in September 2017. At this event, the winning concept was also announced: Fire Safety Engineering in Virtual Reality, a VR tool for the analysis of smoke propagation and evacuation processes in buildings and infrastructure. The article below provides more information about this tool, which has already been applied in practice. All 16 selected teams are currently taking further steps on the path from innovation to
entrepreneurship, by developing their business and marketing plans and assessing them in contacts with our clients. After all, with our ideas we want to make a positive contribution to addressing society’s challenges. Although the Plus+ programme has not yet been completed, we can safely conclude that it has already been highly successful. The large number of submissions and their high calibre, the tight schedule, the level of enthusiasm, energy and inspiration and the exceptional results all show that the joint development of innovative ideas is and always will be part of our corporate DNA as engineers. Or in the words of jury member Wouter Truffino of Holland ConTech: ‘What happened at Witteveen+Bos in the past six months is truly unique in my view, and you should all be very proud. Only a small number of companies could have accomplished this. Witteveen+Bos employees are exceptionally good at devising new concepts that contribute to people’s well-being. It was very inspiring to experience the whole process up-close.’ + communications@witteveenbos.com
Fire Safety Engineering in Virtual Reality As part of the Witteveen+Bos Plus+ innovation programme, the concept of presenting the results of fire safety engineering calculations in a Virtual Reality environment has been developed into a concrete, innovative product. The resulting tool is called ‘Fire Safety Engineering in Virtual Reality’ (FSE in VR), and makes it possible to visualise calculation results in any 3D model of a tunnel station or other building. Users can also analyse and experience, in a simulated
environment, how an evacuation would proceed as smoke propagates in the event of fire. FSE in VR has already been applied in practice, for instance for a Brussels metro station as well as the tunnels of the Oosterweel Link in Antwerp. However, it is also suitable for a much wider market. The tool not only contributes to safer infrastructure, but can also be applied to conduct fire safety analyses for other types of complex buildings.
FSE in VR also offers a highly realistic training environment for emergency services and management organisations. Our team had the unique opportunity of developing this product as part of the Plus+ innovation programme. We are very proud to have been selected as the winners. It just goes to show: innovation is teamwork! + aryan.snel@witteveenbos.com
Witteveen+Bos News November 2017
Offshore Centre in Port of Rotterdam Sustainable design principles help secure major contract
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is developing a new area of the Princess Alexia Port (part of the Maasvlakte II land reclamation project) into a large Offshore Centre that will be the first facility of its size in Europe. The site will accommodate suppliers and construction companies operating in the offshore wind energy sector, as well as firms that dismantle oil and gas platforms. The Authority wants the Offshore Centre to become Europe’s leading offshore hub. Witteveen+Bos is contributing to this area development project, and has been commissioned to engineer the heavy load deepsea quay and the access roads, among other things. The company has defined seven sustainable design principle to maximise the impact of engineering work, and to truly put the principles of sustainability into practice. Witteveen+Bos considers the application of these principles in all its activities – and with great success in this particular project, where flexible design, the ‘Trias Energetica’ approach and stakeholder participation are key. Witteveen+Bos project leader Peter Quist: ‘During the planning stage we provided geotechnical engineering advice for the land reclamation work. We are now advising on the filling-in of the 70-hectare site, devoting particular attention to the geotechnical aspects. The quay must be suitable for the high loads that result from activities like the transhipment of components for large offshore wind turbines. We highlighted our sustainable design principles in the tender procedure. Flexible design plays a key role in ensuring the project is future-proof. The deep-sea quay has a design life of 50 years. Market and user requirements may change considerably in
as little as ten years. It must then be possible to use the Offshore Centre for other purposes, with a few minor adjustments. In addition, we have applied the so-called Trias Energetica principle by minimising the consumption of energy and raw materials and by using renewable sources as much as possible. Stakeholder participation was applied as the third sustainable design principle. Customer requirements were discussed with future users and included in the decision-making process. Such a process contributes to an optimised design.’ In mid-2017, work started on depositing the sand (‘rainbowing’) and constructing the shipping channel. Seven million cubic metres of sand will be deposited in total. The first phase comprises 30 hectares and will be completed by late 2017, while the remaining 40 hectares will be finished in early 2018. After a period to allow the sand to settle, the construction of the deep-sea quay will start. The first berths are scheduled for completion in 2019. ‘We’re working to a tight schedule, which takes into account the plans for building offshore wind farms in the North Sea,’ says Matthijs Peeperkorn, project manager for the Port of Rotterdam Authority. ‘To join forces and maximise synergy, we believe it is important for offshore companies to cluster in the Offshore Centre. The energy transition is in full swing, and we are adjusting our policies accordingly. New markets are opening up, but there is also a lot of competition from other ports. Rotterdam offers the advantages of more space and greater water depth, but that doesn’t mean we can rest on our laurels - especially given our aim of reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 85 % by 2050.’ + peter.quist@witteveenbos.com
Pellet softening
Knowledge transfer to Denmark to support implementation Over the past few years, Witteveen+Bos and the Danish firm NIRAS Consulting Engineers have joined forces to contribute to a variety of successful water treatment projects. The latest collaborative projects are focused on the application of pellet softening technology in water treatment schemes for Greater Copenhagen Utility (HOFOR) and for Frederiksberg Forsyning, a utility company serving a large area just outside the Copenhagen city centre that is completely surrounded by the HOFOR water supply areas. In these projects, NIRAS provided project management and engineering services and local knowledge, while Witteveen+Bos contributed expertise in process and mechanical engineering. This enabled knowledge transfer from the Netherlands to Denmark, to ensure that state-of-the-art Dutch expertise in pellet softening technology can be incorporated into a number of Danish Water Treatment Plants (WTPs). For example, operational experiences gained by the Dutch water utilities Dunea, Oasen, Vitens, Waternet and WML in the use of caustic soda storage and dosing systems and data on downstream multi-media filtration velocities were incorporated into the Basis of Design report for HOFOR’s Søndersø WTP in early 2017. In late October 2017, HOFOR commissioned a consortium consisting of NIRAS, Witteveen+Bos, Krüger and several local partners to produce detailed designs for their three large-capacity WTPs at Søndersø, Lejre and Thorsbro. In this challenging project, we can extend our collaboration and contribute to the future supply of softened water to Danish consumers. + cor.merks@witteveenbos.com
EFQUANET EFFICIENT DRINKING WATER DISTRIBUTION
1-STEP® FILTER TURNS WASTEWATER INTO PROFIT
In Western Europe, people take it for granted that hardly any water leaks out of the drinking water supply system. However, this is not the case in many other regions of the world. In Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe as well as in the UK and the US, large quantities of drinking water are lost due to frequent leakages. It is therefore important to reduce such losses as much as possible, especially in countries where water is a scarce resource. That aim can be achieved, thanks to extensive experience in designing, constructing and managing high-quality water supply networks gained by Dutch drinking water companies, contractors, materials suppliers and engineering firms over many years. The Allied Waters Collab EFquanet will now put that experience to good use by focusing on efficient drinking water distribution worldwide. EFquanet is a joint venture of Witteveen+Bos and the KWR Water Cycle Research Institute. Both firms combine practical experience with extensive research, enabling them to provide effective advice on reducing leakages. The collaboration has already yielded benefits in the form of an assessment tool for trenchless technologies, as well as various innovative plans for designing better pipeline systems, managing them more efficiently and effectively, and reducing water losses as much as possible.
Waternet, the integrated water cycle company for Amsterdam and the surrounding area, has been using the 1-STEP® filter at its Horstermeer Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) since 2013 in order to upgrade the quality of treated effluent to industrial reuse standards. This modular and compact fixed-bed activated carbon filter simultaneously and effectively reduces the concentrations of total suspended solids, phosphorus, nitrogen, heavy metals, and priority and emerging substances. Measured over a period of almost five years, the treated effluent at STP Horstermeer has an average total nitrogen concentration of 2.2 mg/l and a total phosphorus concentration of 0.18 mg/l. The effluent easily meets the stringent requirements defined in the European Water Framework Directive, and can be used for irrigation purposes as well as directly fed into membrane filtration processes used in the production of industrial process water. The beneficial reuse of both municipal and industrial wastewater can be maximised by implementation of the 1-STEP® filter. Witteveen+Bos collaborated with Nijhuis Industries, Waternet, Cabot Norit Activated Carbon and Delft University of Technology on the development of this comprehensive tertiary treatment solution. The project partners are offering the 1-STEP® filter as a patented black box solution to municipalities and industries worldwide.
+ cor.merks@witteveenbos.com
BRIDGE COMPETITION IN ESTONIA An international consortium consisting of Plein06, Witteveen+Bos and Novarc Group has won the international design competition for an iconic openable pedestrian bridge in the centre of Tallinn’s old harbour. The design contest was held to mark the centenary of Estonia’s 1918 Declaration of Independence. The design contest and the future design and construction of the bridge are co-funded by the EU. The bridge is planned for completion by the end of 2018.
+ cor.merks@witteveenbos.com
The design is a cultural act, a piece of art, and an innovative engineering structure. New Balance 100 will be Estonia’s first dynamic, movable bridge, and will therefore represent an architectural and cultural milestone for the country. The aesthetical and innovative solutions ensure that New Balance 100 will be a high-profile object in public space, in terms of both appearance and function. It will be the perfect symbol to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Estonia’s Declaration of Independence. + oskars.zivtins@witteveenbos.com
A 3D CONCRETE PRINTED BICYCLE BRIDGE
FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT In October 2017, Kadam Environmental Consultants (KEC) and Witteveen+Bos signed a framework agreement for environmental projects in India. KEC focuses on environmental engineering services and has an extensive network of industrial and publicsector clients in India. Following the signing of the agreement, the first two work orders have been issued to Witteveen+Bos for engineering assistance on soil remediation projects undertaken by two dye plants in the Vadodara region. We are confident that this agreement will lead to a developing relationship and business opportunities for KEC and Witteveen+Bos in the rapidly developing Indian market. + bjent.van.der.enden@witteveenbos.com
HUMAN CITIES COALITION TOWARDS LIVEABLE MEGACITIES At the Amsterdam International Water Week in October 2017, Witteveen+Bos and a number of other leading players in the Dutch water infrastructure sector signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The signatories committed to making megacities all over the world more liveable, with specific attention devoted to slums and their residents. The partners are joining forces in the Human Cities Coalition (HCC), which is devoted to achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: making cities and communities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. One of the Coalition’s spearheads is the ‘Roadmap for Human Cities’, a step-by-step plan aimed at involving slum residents in major (water) infrastructure projects focused on providing access to basic amenities. The partners will start by exchanging knowledge and expertise without consideration for their competitive position. They aim to play a leading role by pursuing close collaboration and coordination between players in the Dutch and worldwide infrastructure sector, working together with local communities and government authorities.
In June 2017, work started on the realisation of the world’s first 3D concrete printed bicycle bridge at the laboratories of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in the Netherlands. On 17 October 2017, the resulting 60-metrelong bridge was installed as part of a new ring road around the town of Gemert. Witteveen+Bos was responsible for the structural design and engineering. Three-dimensional concrete printing is a unique production method that requires less construction materials and no formwork. This results in less waste and reduced consumption of scarce resources. Pre-tensioning has been applied to safeguard the cohesion of the 3D-printed concrete. This technology has great potential for other applications in construction projects. A 1:2 scale model of the bridge was successfully tested as part of the development process. Witteveen+Bos is also involved in several other 3D concrete printing projects. The innovative and practical nature of the technology, the resulting savings in materials usage and the reduction of CO2 emissions all help to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals to which Witteveen+Bos is committed. + hans.laagland@witteveenbos.com
+ diederik.bel@witteveenbos.com
Witteveen+Bos Witteveen+Bos News Nieuws November mei 2017
DELEGATION FROM GULF REGION
Water treatment solutions in Indonesia
On 2 November 2017, Witteveen+Bos hosted a delegation of board members and managers of water and wastewater companies from the Gulf Region. The delegation had been invited by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency to take part in a programme that included visits to the Aquatech Amsterdam trade exhibition and other events, as well as presentations by various companies operating in the Gulf Region, including Witteveen+Bos. During a working lunch, topical and urgent water-related issues in the Gulf Region were discussed, including reducing the volume of Non-Revenue Water, implementing water recycling, and enhancing the sustainability of the entire urban water cycle. Our expertise and experience – as demonstrated in innovative and successful reference projects throughout the world – proved to be an excellent fit for the challenges facing the delegation members. The presentation will provide an additional boost to the expansion of the services offered by the Witteveen+Bos office in Dubai, focusing on products and solutions like the 1-STEP® filter, water recycling, generating energy from wastewater, and creating sustainable underground water reservoirs. Witteveen+Bos can provide added value in these and other areas. . + wouter.bijman@witteveenbos.com
Approximately twenty percent of Indonesian households have access to piped treated drinking water. The combination of rapid economic growth, urbanization and depleting groundwater resources creates a real need for additional water treatment and supply systems. For forty years, Witteveen+Bos has been contributing to the improvement of access to safe drinking water in Indonesia. Nevertheless, the market for designing water purification plants is strongly represented by local EPC contractors. In order to increase our activity in the sector, a unique cooperative partnership was created this year with Engeldot Water, an expanding family business, based in the Netherlands, and specialized in developing and manufacturing sustainable, high quality water treatment and purification systems. The EPC company is highly active in Indonesia and is currently installing a plant in Kota Tua, Jakarta. Engeldot benefits from Witteveen+Bos’ local presence and expertise for technical assistance, contract management, and construction supervision. In return, we benefit from Engeldot’s penetration in the Indonesian drinking water sector. Together, the companies are submitting several proposals for new installations with capacities ranging from 50 L/s to 1,200 L/s. + yannick.severin@witteveenbos.com
SINGAPORE NETHERLANDS WATER HOUSE Arno Kops, Regional Manager for South-East Asia and Australia at Witteveen+Bos, has been named as the new chairman of Singapore Netherlands Water House (SNWH). SNWH is a platform for networking, communication and collaboration between Dutch firms operating in the water sector with offices in Singapore (like Witteveen+Bos). Arno Kops has been an active member of the platform on behalf of Witteveen+Bos since 2014. His new responsibilities include strengthening ties between Singapore and the Netherlands, with a particular focus on efficient water usage, water management, ensuring a future-proof water supply, institutional transition and administration, and the implementation of innovative water systems. + communications@witteveenbos
CHANGE OF ADDRESS THE HAGUE OFFICE
‘Water-wise communities’ in Kazakhstan In 2017, the Netherlands and Kazakhstan are celebrating 25 years of bilateral ties. In addition, a major international exposition was held in the Kazakh capital Astana. The theme of Expo 2017 Astana was ‘Future Energy’, which ties in well with the focus areas of collaboration between the Netherlands and the Central Asian country. The Netherlands attaches great importance to creating new partnerships between Kazakh and Dutch companies, government authorities and knowledge institutes. The Holland Innovation Challenge was therefore introduced to tie in with Expo 2017 Astana. Based on a business case, 24 students and young professionals from the two countries developed inventive applications of existing Dutch innovations, tailored specifically to the situation in Kazakhstan and to key social and economic objectives formulated by the Kazakh government. The ‘Aquamotion’ team was selected as the winner at Expo 2017 Astana. This team worked on a Witteveen+Bos case study focusing on ‘sustainable development through sustainable water’. In the opinion of the jury, Aquamotion’s ‘water-wise community’ was the most innovative, sustainable and applicable idea submitted as part of the Holland Innovation Challenge. This preliminary concept for a residential district is aimed at achieving a drastic reduction of water consumption by implementing smart usage and recycling solutions, with the ultimate goal of creating a circular water system. Former Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Henk Kamp presented the prize during his working visit to Kazakhstan in June of this year. + krijn.de.brabander@witteveenbos.com
The Witteveen+Bos office in The Hague has relocated to new premises. As of 13 November, we will receive our partners and business relations at our new office, which is located in the building complex above The Hague’s central train station (Den Haag Centraal). The postal address and phone number will remain unchanged. The new address for visitors is: Koningin Julianaplein 10 Floor 12 2595 AA The Hague The Netherlands
Editorial address Witteveen+Bos News P.O. Box 233
7400 AE Deventer The Netherlands
+31 (0)570 69 79 11
communications@witteveenbos.com www.witteveenbos.com
The Witteveen+Bos News is published twice a year. Volume 22, November 2017