Boskalis CSR report 2017

CSR 2017 – BOSKALIS 39

“FROM THE OUTSET, KNOWLEDGE WAS SHARED BETWEEN PARTIES TO CREATE THE BEST SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS”

CREATING INNOVATIVE, SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS Hendrik Postma, Director of Boskalis Nederland, explains why the Marker Wadden is a Building with Nature project ‘par excellence’: “The project is ground-breaking in several respects: a nature area will be created in a densely populated region, and landscape and ecology have been given top priority from the very start. The central part of the islands is for goose steps only: the area has to be strong enough to support the weight of birds, not people. The interesting thing here is that we are dealing with entirely novel design criteria.” “As hydraulic engineers, we are always thinking about how strong a design should be. The question here was: how soft can the design be? Together with the client, we developed a project approach, that was based on the question of what provisions were needed to create a healthy habitat for plants, wildlife and marine life.” Roel Posthoorn, Marker Wadden Project Director for the Dutch Society for the Preservation of Nature, adds: “Marker Wadden has turned out to be a unique project in its kind, most importantly because of the innovative technology used, and also in the way in which parties have collaborated throughout all project phases. Right from the outset, knowledge was shared between parties to create the best sustainable solutions: islands that would become a new food source and nesting ground.” The know-how acquired within the Marker Wadden and other Building with Nature projects, enables Boskalis to build with fine sediment in both freshwater and saltwater environments the world over. Postma elaborates: “With creative thinking and by looking at reality differently, it has been possible to use fine clay as a building material. Marker Wadden allows us to learn more about this approach. I am convinced that this knowledge will help us to use similar techniques on other projects.” The first stage of the project is nearing completion. In 2017 the go-ahead was given for the building of three more islands. The first island measures 250 hectares and the total surface area of the four other islands will be approximately 750 hectares. After final work has been completed in 2020, nature will be left to take its own course and shape the islands.