Second Nature Each project is approached in two simultaneous and characteristically Dutch ways. Firstly, we take a classic civil engineering approach based on logic, utility and necessity. Secondly, we believe in identity-led production of landscape - we respect the location, context or envisioned nature of the site. Overall, this method envisions a new nature, a ‘second nature’ of constructed landscapes that simultaneously responds to pragmatic demands (water management, population growth, traffic congestion) and, through identity, symbols, and expression, also reinforces the existing culture to which the intervention belongs.

Water as Leverage West 8 has built up a reputation for its focus and emphasis on local context, including ecology, location, history, geography, and culture as the basis for design. Our designs are site-specific and guarantee a long-lasting value to the communities we design for. It is West 8’s aim to develop designs that will be embraced and cared for with pride. Hence, sustainability through cultural constructs is strongly embedded in West 8’s design philosophy.

At the core of this approach, we address the question of true “relevance”: the integration of sustainability measures and goals that simultaneously enhance the design and actively create new ecologies.

In recent decades, climate change and sea level rise have become a key driver in the planning strategy of every waterfront urban development. From the day West 8 was founded, sustainability has been at the forefront of the firm's work. As a component of every water management infrastructure project, we always add a crucial element of public intrigue. Our innovative, holistic approach allows the designated water infrastructure to be not only functional, but also sustainable and cost-effective. With every linear meter of infrastructure in the public realm we design, wherever landscape interventions marry urban space, we aim to leverage better living conditions for human societies while rehabilitating aquatic or underwater habitat to enrich the shoreline biotope. This approach is complementary to the environmental sensitivity and ecological enrichment that characterize West 8’s work.

The Delta Metropolis in the Netherlands is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

It is also a zone that is difficult to define: disorderly districts are a mix of outskirts and suburbs, industrial sites, retail parks, ports and infrastructure, laced with remnants of the historic landscape. The Happy Isles Consortium - West 8 and Svasek Hydraulics – developed a plan that combines safety features and the addition of new land by a series of sprayed-up sand islands off the coast of Belgium and The Netherlands. These islands buffer wave stress and help control sea level during storm surges through the strategic engineering of underwater topography.

The islands have gently undulating inner dunes where one million property allotments will be issued. On the biggest island, Hollandsoog (150,000 hectares), a broad representation of the community will be able to obtain a lease. The island economy will be based on leisure and nature experience; a happy island for family, lonely-hearts, poets and festivals. Sand dredging creates deep troughs which may become special habitats, resting areas and spawning grounds for a number of marine species. Capitalizing on the Dutch tradition of land-making in the interests of diverse stakeholders, Happy Isles forms a sustainable gift for future generations - their promised land.

In a monumental decision designed to relieve pressure on the capital, China will be implementing a new 'triangle' that joins the existing cities of Beijing and Tianjian with the creation of a new city: Xiongan.

Xiongan is primed to become a new model for urban development. It is intended to be the new cultural district of the capital - within the first phase of development, the new city will accommodate over a million residents in 100 square kilometers. It will also house the non-governmental functions of the capital. As in most prosperous historic cities, effective water infrastructure is key for the new city’s urban planning.

Its geographic location has been strategically chosen at a slightly higher terrain, which can be leveraged for sustainable water management and also allow the city to be more resilient to potential flood risks.

Baiyangdian, the designated new green levee, is the blue heart of the Xiongan New Area and the largest freshwater lake in Northern China. Nicknamed ‘the kidney of Northern China’, the lower tip of the Jiu River is an important regulated water body in the Haihe River Basin. A maze-like pattern of waterways sits within a lush green landscape that produces unique and pleasant scenery in a renowned resort area.

The North China Plain is an alluvial plain that stretches from the Western Taihang Mountains to the Bohai Gulf in the east.

For most of the year, the area rarely receives rainfall. In the summer, however, when the southeast monsoon meets the Taihang Mountains, the plains experience heavy downpours. In the Baiyangdian basin, the range over which the water ebbs and flows is greatly affected by the amount of water entering the lake. In order to reduce the threat of flooding, people have historically built dams along the Baiyangdian which have been reinforced several times throughout history.

West 8’s design proposal for the ecological embankment around the Xiongan New District Start-up Area comprises a total length of 54 kilometers. It is built upon the existing Xin'an North Embankment, Pinghe Left Embankment and Baigou Yinhe Right Embankment. According to the flood control reinforcement requirements of the New District, the height and width of existing dikes must be increased to ensure the city is protected against the increasingly unpredictable conditions of climate change.

The reinforcement of these dikes presents an opportunity to design and deliver ecological co-benefits from the engineered flood defense infrastructure. In West 8’s proposal, the new ecological embankment will adapt to the current conditions as part of an integrated, future-proof scheme. The new plan aims to achieve the ultimate balance between social and ecological benefits in every aspect of design and construction.

By incorporating proposed plans for urban development and transportation systems, the dike reinforcements will help to restore the ecology of the area and create new cultural, tourism and leisure opportunities. The clear concept of the landscape intervention is to combine the landscape experience (sports, festivities, music, and ecology education opportunities) with the pragmatic functions of a dike. While the entire Baiyangdian waterway system is being enhanced with diverse maintenance spaces, rehabilitating Dianbo’s aquatic or underwater habitat will enrich the shoreline habitat and improve the urban and natural environments of Dianyang.

The Xiongan Planning and Construction Bureau aspires to systematically integrate urban functionality with the creation of new ecological space in the creation of a successful new city.

The overall landscape plan proposed by West 8 is based on this future-focused ideology. It is a comprehensive professional plan that highlights opportunities for resilience within a holistic, interwoven and interconnected system. Many lessons have been learned from “trial and error” methods, and through productive discussions between designers and engineers on the project team.

Challenges for development in the New Area include topography, surface and groundwater treatment, flood control and prevention, placemaking and community resilience, habitat and ecological restoration, establishment of windproof corridors, construction of dams and locks, improving connectivity, and sustainable energy production. West8's landscape masterplan accomodates all of these challenges and more skillfully and harmoniously in a future city where nature and city can coexist.