The day one of the unique CEDA-IADC Dredging for Sustainable Infrastructure Conference, taking place at the Beurs van Berlage center in the heart of Amsterdam, has been brought to an end.
The event was opened with the welcoming speech by Mr Polite Laboyrie, President of CEDA, Witteveen+Bos, and Rene Kolman, the secretary general of the IADC.
After the welcoming speech, the event moved on with the ‘What If’ session. During this session, participants opened their minds about the water infrastructure, creating the “Grand Vision’ of the sustainable future. With the help of the painting team, all their ideas were successfully transferred to canvas.
Next to follow was the ‘Time To Reflect’ session, where small groups of attendees discussed possibilities of realizing the vision, the challenges and the ways to overcome these challenges.
The last but not the least were the four field trips which offered delegates a first-hand investigation into the sustainable approaches being realized within the Amsterdam region.
The technical visits included IJburg Extension with a 82 hectare new island emerging in the IJmeer lake; Eendenkooi a duck decoy – dating from 1652 – being reconstructed in its original location on the former island of Ruigoord; Markermeerdijk which is being updated to ensure the region is protected from rising sea levels by 2021; and Plastic Whale that will help remove unwanted plastic from the Amsterdam’s rings of canals.
Don’t forget to join us tomorrow for the official launch of the Dredging for Sustainable Infrastructure guidebook.