Highlights in sustainable development

To read more on our challenges, click on the links below

• Urban challenge

  Our master plans enable authorities to take an integrated approach to urban development to make the best possible use of space and infrastructure. In 2014, we were commissioned to undertake our first master plan in India for Bangalore, which will help this fast-growing city to become more liveable for people and businesses. In the Netherlands, we worked on the world’s largest underground cycle park in Utrecht. It provides safe and accessible parking for 12,500 bikes, and improves the sight of the city central station. 
  
  The new Markthal (Market Hall) was opened in Rotterdam, a new landmark for the city. Our internationally recognised glass design includes a 45m wide arch providing housing, underground parking and space for market stalls. We are investigating how to strengthen primary health care in Kulon Progo in Indonesia, an underdeveloped urban district of Yogyakarta, home to 500,000 people. The main objective of the study is to identify all the health care solution components to give people access to basic care. 

  
  In Oman we delivered an integrated master plan to stimulate the regional economy and to provide direction to the spatial plans. The involvement of the local population is a key element; their voices will be heard as they participate in discussions about the future of their region.

• Water Challenge

  Our experience shows that with the right skills and approach remarkable solutions can emerge. We celebrated the conclusion of a €220 million program to alleviate the misery of flooding for communities and businesses across the Moray region of Scotland. Our unique technological approach to treating wastewater gained ground with Nereda® treatment plants to be constructed in Switzerland and India. Smaller and more cost-effective than traditional plants, these plants use less energy and require no chemicals.

  We provide a range of services that are helping cities with the transition to become (more) resilient. For the city of Jakarta in Indonesia we provided a long-term strategy to restore flood safety as the city is experiencing annual floods. Jakarta is sinking and there are areas that are now 1.4m below sea level. The project will protect and develop North Jakarta while at the same time provide a model for other delta cities around the world.

  As living standards improve and economic development increases in Indonesia, the need for clean water and a healthy environment grows. This year we completed a 5-year Urban Sanitation Development Programme advising the Indonesian government how to improve access to sanitation, a Programme which covers more than 400 cities in all districts. We are involved in several projects along the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, which aim to mitigate the impacts of drought and flooding. These projects are extremely important to local farmers, as they not only help protect their precious crops, but safeguard their homes and property, and most importantly, their families’ health and wellbeing.

  We successfully completed restoration of the Ouse and Adur Rivers in the United Kingdom. The Environment Agency, rivers trusts, consultants and contractors worked closely together to deliver considerable environmental benefits improving fish passage and enabling a greater diversity of fish species. In addition flooding downstream of the Middle Ouse was reduced by restoring the natural river and its floodplain. 

  The year started with unprecedented levels of flooding in the United Kingdom which were followed later in the summer with flooding across Eastern Europe. Our experts were selected by the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) to join their emergency response teams deployed during and after natural disasters. Our response to a previous flooding disaster won the Rebuild by Design Competition – an initiative by the Hurricane Sandy Task Force to rebuild the areas of New York and New Jersey. Our solution will help the Hoboken community become more resilient to future flooding. 

  In Nigeria we are working on the transformation of irrigation management from government to private service providers and water associations. The integrated Water Resources Management Plan for the Hadejia River Basin includes irrigation and drainage infrastructure and management, flood risk reduction and river flow regulation. The project benefits more than a million people in the surrounding area safeguarding their homes, increasing farming and fishing and increase their health and welfare. 

• Transport challenge

  We believe integration of all transport modes is vital for smarter transport systems. We have been involved in the new Doha Metro Network which is part of a larger integrated railway project for Qatar. Once complete, it will encourage public transport as a viable alternative to private vehicles. In Saudi Arabia, we are working on the new world-class North-South railway. The benefits of our integrated approach are evident in the master plan created for Xiamen Airport in China. This extends beyond the airport boundaries to provide a comprehensive airport city model covering urban development, public transport and coastal design. It helps encourage economic growth, includes creation of high-quality living space and improves the local ecology and natural scenery. 

  We were appointed to conduct the Environmental Risk Assessments for the revitalisation and development of Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, one of the world’s top 10 busiest airports in terms of passenger traffic. The airport delivers enormous benefit to the Indonesian economy so its ability to cope with growing numbers of travellers is vital for the country’s prosperity. We were appointed to work on the delivery of London’s Quietways contract which will make a positive impact on cycling in the city. Another cycling project was won in India where we were awarded the design and supervision of the Cycle Tracks project for the Noida authority in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Both these projects bring benefits for society through increased mobility using a sustainable method of transport. 

  We validated the conceptual design of the Sharq crossing for Doha, Qatar, the first immersed tunnel project in the Middle East region. And we started working on a proposed 230km motorway across Turkey. This project involves a feasibility study, now complete, engineering studies for the selected route and site investigations. Improved transport systems boost connectivity and economic growth for the region. In October, around 400 transport professionals joined us celebrating our company’s 50th anniversary of Transportation Consultancy Services in the Netherlands. During the years we advised on solutions for several transport issues like increasing traffic, road safety for all users and future developments like self-driving cars. 

  We are involved with what is the largest investment in the Dutch railway network for the next 50 years. The existing Automatische Trein Beïnvloeding (ATB) signalling system is being replaced with the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) to make sustainable growth possible in the future. Currently a pilot project has been set up to gain better insight into all the possibilities of ERTMS.

  In partnership with Witteveen+Bos, we were awarded a $18 million contract to design a new shipyard in Kazakhstan. Providing ship building, repair and maintenance to support the country's growing oil and gas exploration activities, the shipyard is of great strategic importance to the country’s economy. We won and started work on a number of projects in ports across Peru and South and Central America including a major supervision project in Southern Peru of a mineral export facility. Where possible we have introduced innovative technologies, including electrically-powered cranes, to improve the sustainability of port operations.

• Industry challenge

  We are designing factories that use water, energy and natural resources more efficiently. In Indonesia mini hydropower plants will provide sustainable energy to local communities and support increased economic activity. We were involved in the launch of EcoProFabrics in 2014, the first circular economy initiative for the textile industry. Important steps were taken to broaden understanding and knowledge about Recover-E, our circular economy for ICT users, and we continued to make progress with our Take Back Chemicals initiative. All these activities respond to issues of natural resource scarcity and handling waste. 

  We were awarded a contract for full engineering, procurement and construction management services for a new garment factory in Vietnam for TAL Group, one of the leading clothing manufacturers in the world. This requires the 75,000m2 plant to be designed in a sustainable way to achieving internationally recognized LEED Gold classification, as the premier mark of achievement in green building. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced in November that Royal HaskoningDHV had won the 'Public Private Partnership Award 2014' for the project 'Sugar, Make it Work' in Rwanda. The project uses Nature Driven Design to help drain the flood plains along the Nyabarongo River much faster, creating fertile grounds for safe sugar cane production.

  PT. SOHO Industri Pharmasi is one of the leading and fastest growing pharmaceutical manufacturers in Indonesia. With growing demand for their existing products and plans to extend their production lines a new state of the art production facility and office were constructed, both meeting the newest international industry requirements. The new Sterile Greenfield facility mirrors SOHO’s mission to provide high quality health care products and services and to promote quality and long life.