De Fusie

Between Tradition and Future

Function: New Dutch Delta Works, Wadden

The sea level rise is forcing us to think differently instead of a static defensive attitude towards water, it is better to move along with it. The Fusie is a new type of building that adjust to a typical Dutch landscape and fits in the rich tradition of waterworks, which preserve the landscape for the future. The Fusie can be seen as a new Dutch Delta Works that unites tradition and future in contemporary way. The Fusie is a structure in one of the dyke bodies of the ‘Double dyke’ along the Eems -Dollard estuary in Northern Groningen. The building is a sustainable coastal defense, a dynamic water collection system and an agricultural innovation. As a result of the building, nature can develop and silt will be collected. In the building, the dynamic relationship between the inside and outside of the dykes, and between freshwater and salt water is made perceptible, researched and exploited. The Fusie contains a sluice foundation that lets water in and out in a regulated manner, The smart culverts feed a number of experimentation polders for silt collection, a clay ripener and saline agriculture. A landscape observatory has been designed above this foundation, which offers ever-changing perspectives of the dynamic landscape. This observatory houses a ‘monastery on the tidal flats’ with living spaces and workspaces where scientists can conduct long-term research into new approaches to water management, capturing and harvesting the silt and new forms of saline agriculture. At the same time, The Fusie is accessible to pupils, students and visitors. The Fusie is a new improved Dutch Delta Work that brings together tradition and future and gives an economic / ecological and social boost to the Eems Dollard region.