The Afsluitdijk: a long story that’s far from over
Provincie Fryslân, Kornwerderzand (NL), 2023
The Afsluitdijk – a 30-kilometre dyke that cuts straight across the sea – is a Dutch icon. Upon it sits the artificial island of Kornwerderzand. A unifying story will unlock the island’s potential.
Photo: Dutch Institute for Military History (NIMH), Creative Commons
A lack of coherence
A new fish migration river, a village, the Kazemattenmuseum (Casemates Museum), various engineering works, the Afsluitdijk Wadden Center, a popular surfing and kitesurfing spot – Kornwerderzand has numerous components and stakeholders with diverse interests. Despite an apparent lack of coherence, the island harbours tourism potential and presents opportunities for cooperation with the mainland.
Renders: (c) Studio D
The story of the Afsluitdijk
To create coherence, we helped to develop an integrated area plan for Provincie Fryslân. We analysed existing plans for the island, held discussions with stakeholders, and conducted a programmatic study of each subarea. The result was the unifying concept “The long story of the Afsluitdijk is far from over”. The dyke may seem like a piece of history, but a closer look shows this isn’t true.
New sights point the way
The Afsluitdijk Wadden Center will serve as the main gateway, from which five routes will lead to different sights, such as the new Fish Migration River, Blue Energy’s hydrogen experimentation sites, and the natural beauty of the Wadden mudflats. The new sights will be built with the same theme in mind: living in harmony with the water as opposed to fighting against it. Thus, the iconic Afsluitdijk will point the way to the future. The story that started a century ago is far from over.
Credits
Client
Provincie FryslânConsultancy and research
ProcapContent design
Studio LouterDesign
Zambeli Landschapsarchitectuur
Studio D