A proposition for a next-gen Dutch windmill by One Architecture, Ton Matton and NL Architects.Water and land. Land and water. They’ve always been fluid concepts in the Netherlands. But let’s talk about wind. The ‘Waterland’ is so closely associated with windmills, that it's often the first fact people recall about the country. The Dutch built windmills for many centuries – and to some extent, the windmills built the country itself, since without them much of the land drainage could not have happened.
There is a large number of remaining windmills in the Netherlands - the number is about 1150 and rising. Rising, yes…because the Dutch, being quite the practical and down-to-earth waterlanders, only count complete
workable mills, and over the past years extensive rebuilding and renovation has added to the number. One can even consult the
Dutch Windmill and Watermill Database for details and photos of over 1173 complete mills.
But windmills are not just tied to Dutch soil. Last month, the Dutch cabinet approved a proposal to construct large-scale windmill parks in the North Sea. A few days ago Deputy Public Works Minister Tineke Huizinga specifically granted a permit for a windmill park in the North Sea, 40 kilometres off the coast of the Hook of Holland. The park, which would supply electricity to 320,000 households, is supposed to be constructed by the Irish company Airtricit. It would contain 72 wind turbines, to be made operational by 2013. However, the plan still has to be approved by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Subscribe