2021 Prins Friso Engineering Prize
Speaking on behalf of the KIVI, Karianne Lindenhovius described the three finalists for the 2021 Prins Friso Engineering Prize as 'three winners'. In the end, Dr David Fernandez Rivas was crowned 2021 Engineer of the Year. Rob Dijcker, Circular Solutions Senior Consultant and team leader at Witteveen+Bos, was also one of the three nominated for the prize. The Dutch award is presented every year by the Royal Institute of Engineers (KIVI) to an engineer who excels in terms of their expertise, innovative capabilities, impact on society and entrepreneurial spirit. Dijcker was previously nominated for his contribution to providing fellow engineers and clients with insights into the environmental impact of designs and working alongside them to develop strategies and solutions for designing in a more sustainable, socially responsible and future-oriented way.
The Prins Friso Engineering Prize is considered to be the most prestigious prize for engineers in the Netherlands and is presented every year on the 'Day of the Engineer'. Rob Dijcker was recently nominated for the seventh edition of the Prins Friso Engineering Prize, along with Dr Abeje Mersha, Professor of Unmanned Robotic Systems at Saxion University of Applied Sciences, and Dr David Fernandez Rivas, Associate Professor at the University of Twente, CEO and founder of InkBeams and BuBclean. The three nominees were selected for their expertise, innovative capabilities, impact on society and entrepreneurial spirit.
Circular design is applied sustainability for engineers
‘Circular construction requires collaboration throughout the construction chain, but most of all, it requires technical ingenuity on the part of engineers,’ says Dijcker. ‘In my experience, any engineer can design and build in a circular way if we create the right tools and preconditions. At Witteveen+Bos and also at various clients (Rijkswaterstaat, provinces and water authorities) we have been able to get engineers engaged in circular design. The key is to make them realise that circular design is a challenge that goes to the heart of what it means to be an engineer: to design and develop solutions for complex tasks that have a social and sustainable impact. Many engineers still see sustainability as something that has nothing to do with their day-to-day work. Circular design is about design methodology, connections, material choices and innovation. My motto is: circular design is applied sustainability for engineers! In the coming year, I want to inspire and motivate engineers to embrace circular design.’
Development of the Circular Design Tool
It was with this vision that Rob developed the +Circular Design Tool – a tool for the practical application of circular design. The +Circular Design Tool assesses a building or system design for sustainability and circularity, visualising the results in a material flow analysis. The tool won the Witteveen+Bos innovation programme in 2018 and has since been successfully applied in numerous projects, and was recently nominated for the Vernufteling.
Circular Design Tool
Prins Friso Engineering Prize
The Dutch award is presented every year by the Royal Institute of Engineers (KIVI) to an engineer who excels in terms of their expertise, innovative capabilities, impact on society and entrepreneurial spirit. The KIVI therefore strives to preserve the title of Engineer (instead of just awarding a Master of Science), and every year it goes in search of engineers who apply their knowledge to solve a problem facing society for its 'Engineer of the Year′.
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