At Hoge Vaart, the ‘De Werf’ project is ongoing.
This project includes the development of a residential tower, a harbor basin, and a restaurant pavilion. As part of this development, a water connection between Nobelhorst (a new residential area) and Hoge Vaart (a canal) is being established. To make this possible, sheet piles are being installed. This construction project is an impressive fact of engineering that generates its own energy.
Patrick Stoelhorst from Gooimeer BV is keen to provide more information: “if you visit Hoge Vaart now, you’ll see that we’re creating a new inlet harbor using steel sheet piles. Some of these sheet piles have been equipped as Energy Sheet Piles. These are regular walls that we’ve equipped with technology to collect energy from ground and surface water. The sustainable energy that this system generates for the buildings in Nobelhorst is available year-round, every day, for heating and cooling.”
Testing for Optimal Efficiency
The sheet piles were installed in February 2023
Patrick explains why the installation took place when it did: “because the construction of the houses has not commenced yet, we’re using this time primarily for testing and calculating the future yield of these Energy Sheet Piles. We’re also receiving funding from the EU under the ‘Kansen voor West’ project. We expect to achieve good returns and significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. If the heat pump also runs on sustainable electricity, the project will be 100% energy neutral. It’s interesting to note that the system cools the surface water, improving water quality. Furthermore, the Energy Sheet Pile is a closed system where we neither introduce fluids into the ground nor extract them. When everything is finished, you won’t see the system anymore. We’ll neatly conceal it in the quay. But thanks to this article, you now know what an incredible system lies behind the quay walls!”
Source of the construction project
If you’d like more information about the steel sheet pile as a sustainable heat source, we’d be happy to tell you more about the possibilities of Energy Sheet Piles for waterfront construction projects.
