The project: Houthaven, Amsterdam, Netherlands
During the expansion of the harbor in Amsterdam, the Dutch municipality of Amsterdam was looking for a way to enrich nature in the harbor.
Solutions: floating artificial reefs with vegetation on top
Around an artificial bird island there was space for artificial reefs or islands meant to make the area greener and create habitat for fish and shellfish.
Design: BESE-elements in a floating structure
Two rows of 25 BESE-elements were placed in a floating structure, Floatlands. These floatlands were designed by the Municipality of Amsterdam and made by Hakkers BV. A block of 22 BESE-elements were deployed within these Floatlands just below the surface for shellfish and fish habitat. On top of these 22 layers came 3 layers of BESE-elements with pregrown vegetation. These BESE-elements with vegetation were maintained at Helkant Plant before they were transported to Amsterdam. This enabled a dense root mat to form before the vegetation was transplanted.
