A Floating Circular Future: Utilizing the changing landscape as a driving force to a circular economy

While attempting to find an answer to the question of how we could become sustainable and circular by 2050, we discovered that it was quite difficult to even imagine what South Holland, the Netherlands or the world, for that matter, would look like. The questions that arose quite quickly were, among others: how many people will live here then?...

Structural damage to Dutch terraced houses due to flood actions

’De Watersnood van 1953’, the largest Dutch flood in recent history, caused the death of 1795 people in the Netherlands directly from the flood conditions, while in the UK, 315 were recorded. Most of them were among those whose residence collapsed due to high water depth, quick rise rate of the water or strong flow velocity. Based on historical...

Integral coastal defence for Malecón of Havana, Cuba

This report contains a study for the Integral Coastal Defence System for the Malecón in the city of Havana, Cuba. The objective was to develop a sea defence solution that prevents unacceptable flooding of the hinterland and damage of the Malecón seawall. Deriving solutions from earlier reports and using old and new data, a solution is proposed...

Addicks and Barker Dams: An optimization to minimize damage due to flooding

The Addicks and Barker Reservoirs, built in the forties, are located in Houston and collect precipitation and run-off from upstream areas to reduce flood risks along Buffalo Bayou to protect downtown Houston. During Hurricane Harvey (August 25 - August 30, 2017), the precipitation reached a new record of 910 mm [36.2 inches] in a 4 day period in...