The September issue of Blauwe Kamer is traditionally dedicated to showcasing the best graduation projects in urban design and landscape architecture of the past academic year. MTD landscape architects congratulates colleague Roel Muurlink, whose graduation project is featured in the spotlight in Blauwe Kamer.
The graduation project “Water-Resilient Future for South Holland” provides a starting point for a broader, integrated dialogue on a guiding role for the water authority instead of a merely supporting role. Faced with a mix of major challenges – climate change, land subsidence, deteriorating water quality, and spatial demands – the current water management system is reaching its limits. By analyzing the consequences of continuing current practices (business as usual) and contrasting this with a parallel water-resilient scenario, Roel and his design team have laid the foundation for a well-substantiated landscape vision. This vision offers an answer to water management challenges up to 2100, in which a renewed water system does not impose limitations but rather adds value to the environment.
We asked Roel – who is currently undertaking an adventurous internship in Ethiopia – what the selection of his graduation plan by Blauwe Kamer means to him:
"What an honor that our work is now featured in Blauwe Kamer; for me, this confirms that our vision on water-resilient landscapes is relevant to the discipline. With our project, we want to inspire others to address water management issues in an integrated way, linking them to other societal challenges. What makes it extra special for me is how our graduation work was developed in collaboration with the Water Board; it is truly rooted in practice and will serve as a discussion piece for the board. That gives me the feeling that our ideas are concretely contributing to a broader dialogue about the future."
