Maeslantkering, Rotterdam, Netherlands
An important economic center for the Netherlands is the port city of Rotterdam. On the one hand water is a key to cultural and economic vitality however it also has the potential to be a deadly threat to the residents.
This required a resilient strategy to protect the city from a storm surge.Therefore a storm barrier with two movable arms was proposed; when the arms are open the waterway remains an important shipping route however when the arms close a protective storm barrier is formed for the city of Rotterdam. Closing the arms of the barrier is a completely automated process done without human intervention.
Each steel gates is 22 metres high by 210 meters long. The water way is 360 meters wide at the location of the gates. It cost 450 million Euro. Construction started in 1991. Completed in 1997.
