A method for integrated and sustainable design: Five design stages

Multifunctional flood defenses combine several functions into a single system. Therefore, several disciplines need to be combined to design such complex systems. An “integrated design” is a collaborative method that combines several disciplines for designing systems or structures, emphasizing a ‘holistic’...

Structural evaluation of multifunctional flood defenses

Flood risk reduction aims to minimize losses in low-lying areas. One of the ways to reduce flood risks is to protect land by means of flood defenses. The Netherlands has a long tradition of flood protection and, therefore, a wide variety of technical reports written and guidelines developed for designing and...

Case Study: Katwijk aan Zee

Katwijk aan Zee is a Dutch town on the North Sea, near the original mouth of the Rhine. At the end of the twentieth century, part of the town of Katwijk appeared to be insufficiently protected against storm surges from sea (Figure 2). About 3000 inhabitants were in fact exposed to risks that were higher than what...

What would an integrated design of the Rotterdam roof park look like?

Several alternative concepts could be developed that would integrate the structure of the Roof Park shopping complex with the flood defense. It is common practice in engineering to develop various concepts, keeping the project goal in mind. This is a creative process that should not be hampered by overly precise...

Rotterdam roof park: A multifunctional structure of shared use: Defining four spatial dimensions of multifunctionality

In the context of urban planning, concepts of multiple land-use refer to situations were the existing space is more intensively used (Habiforum, cited in Hooimeijer et al, 2001). This can be achieved by morphological integration of functions (stacking of multiple functions in one building or construction), by...

A city park on top of shops and a dike

The Roof Park ('Dakpark’) is an elevated park on a former railway yard in the Delfshaven quarter in Rotterdam. The park is located on top of the roof of a new shopping centre, which includes a parking garage (hence its name, ‘dak’ means ‘roof’). The park is the largest green roof in Rotterdam and one of the...

Dialogue hydraulic engineering and spatial design

In practice, the disciplines of landscape architecture/urbanism and hydraulic engineering have become more specialized during the last decades, gradually growing apart. The gap between governance and ecology seems to have become even larger. This leads to discussions about who should take the lead in a design; and, if the design approach is not...