Defacto has designed and built an innovative presentation model for the Department of Hydraulic Engineering of the Delft University of Technology which demonstrates the latest innovations in the field of urban water management. The 2-meter wide model was commissioned by the Volker-Van Zwieteren family, who donated it to the faculty of civil engineering in commemoration of their son, ir. Thijs van Zwieteren. The model shows a part of the south-west of the Netherlands and explains the development of the water system over time and the state of the art in hydraulic engineering. Next to the urban development and historical development of the flood risk system, also contemporary themes such as ‘building with nature’, ‘room for the river’, ecology and energy transitions are explained. To do so, the model combines high resolution animations with interviews with some of the department’s Professors, and of course the physical qualities of the model itself.

The model was officially revealed on Friday, the 13th of May 2016. This project was generously sponsored by several Dutch companies and institutions, including the Delfland waterboard, Van Oord, IV-Infra, Rijkswaterstaat, Witteveen+Bos, Deltares, HKV, TU Delft, Fugro and the province of South-Holland.