Name of the Project
Dutch Windwheel project.

Location
Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Client
Windwheel Corporation.

Project Description
The Dutch Windwheel will be a 174 m iconic building and will comprise two three-dimensional rings with a light and open steel and glass construction.

As the foundation lies under water, the structure will appear to be floating.

The double ring will offer many functions. The outer ring will house 40 rotating capsules on a rail system; the inner ring is an innovative windmill housing a top-class panorama restaurant, the sky lobby and hotel, apartments and properties for commercial use in the plinth.  The project aims to be a “dynamic showcase of clean technology” that will serve as a boundless platform to demonstrate renewable-energy solutions.

One of the innovations being considered is EWICON technology – a wind turbine that generates electricity from wind without moving parts.

The developers of the project also hope to integrate the Windwheel into the “heat roundabout” – a network of heat pipes linking greenhouses, industrial institutions, and residential homes in South Holland – created to reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels and prevent the emission of harmful substances into the air.

Jobs to be Created
Not stated.

    Value
Not stated.

Duration
Construction on the Windwheel is slated to begin in 2018 and end between 2020 and 2022, although many of the development’s details have yet to be signed off.

Latest Developments
Arup has joined the Foundation Innovation Programme for the development of the Dutch Windwheel, which was launched on November 29, 2016.

Arup signed the collaboration agreement with innovation consortium partners Koninklijke BAM Groep, Deltares, Dura Vermeer, ECN, Eneco, Evides, Huawei, Mammoet, Siemens, SPIE, TNO and the Windwheel Corporation (in which BLOC, DoepelStrijkers and Meysters are represented).

Arup is supporting the design team in the current phase through feasibility studies. The group is undertaking research into ways in which sustainability ambitions for structures, logistics and fire safety, energy, material and waste, circularity and context can be translated into technical specifications.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Arup (feasibility studies).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Windwheel Corporation, Lennart Graaff, tel +31 10 843 2395 or email info@dutchwindwheel.com.