World Sustainability Centre

Sea level rise, increased precipitation and river flooding, storms and droughts: our climate changes and we need to act now. Radical change is needed, change towards sustainable energy, sustainable land-and water management, sustainable mobility, sustainable production and consumption patterns. The rise of the sea level endangers a great part of the world. For many countries it is a threat not encountered before. With current climate change mitigation policies and related sustainable development practices, global greenhouse-gas emissions will continue to grow over the next few decades. Therefore, we have to intensify our efforts. Also, adaptation to climate change is of the essence.

SHOWCASE
The World Sustainability Centre informs and inspires people to transform their lives in a sustainable way. The Centre will be a showcase of new and innovative products and projects. Top level research institutes will demonstrate their latest inventions on energy- or water management. Inventors will discuss their ideas with the public. Visitors can experience climate change, storms, rivers flooding and melting ice, find new solutions to global problems and try out the newest inventions.

Naturally, this Centre needs to be housed in a building that is itself an example of sustainability: harnessing the forces of nature instead of keeping them at bay; zero emission, zero waste, producing energy, cleverly making use of the water that surrounds it.

LOCATION
The Centre is to be located on the Afsluitdijk, an icon of the Dutch struggle against the sea. The Afsluitdijk, 32 kilometers long, was completed in 1932. The dike was designed to protect a large area of the Netherlands against flooding.

In the Netherlands, with 40% of its surface under sea level, water management and water defense have been practiced since time immemorial. The Dutch created mounds, dykes, windmills, canals with locks and sluices, ‘Delta Works’ and the Afsluitdijk, to keep the water out. Finally, the realization dawned that we have to live with the rivers and the sea, and water management changes again: floating cities, seawater inlets, freshwater basins combined with nature reserves.

FUNCTIONS
Key functions of the Centre:
Hall of Experience: Visitors will experience and explore nature, water and energy, so there needs to be room for expositions inside and outside. Furthermore, the building itself should be a showcase of new and innovative sustainable building and design.

• Act now!: A project in which the best young minds of the world are brought together to explore and implement solutions for environmental problems. This project will be housed in a ‘War room’.
• Knowledge Exchange: An inspiring place where experts, students and other interested people can work, meet and have access to relevant and up to date information.
• Conference centre and guesthouse. The centre will provide conference facilities, meeting rooms, and sleeping accommodation for visitors and participants of workshops and conferences.
• Restaurant.

www.worldsustainabilitycentre.org