Design and evaluation programme for circular design wins innovation prize

During the final of our Plus+ Innovation programme on 29 November, the design and evaluation programme for measuring and providing insight into circular design possibilities was selected as the winner.

+Circular Design is an easy-to-use tool that provides insight into the use of materials in design projects. The visualisations generated by the programme enable the client and designers themselves to measure and compare the circularity of the design, and to discover possibilities for improvement. The tool translates one of the seven Sustainable Design Principles of Witteveen+Bos, circular design, into reality.

The assumption behind +Circular Design is that the materials used for the construction of a new bridge, for example, can be dismantled, transported and reused at another location at the end of the bridge’s lifespan. ‘In our innovation campaign, we were given the opportunity to put our idea into practice, test it on the market and develop a prototype,' says Joris van den Acker, one of the developers. ‘Since then, +Circular Design has been developed to the point that we are now able to use it for and with our clients. It is nice to see that there is a lot of demand for this from various parties.’

The 2018 edition was the second time that this internal Witteveen+Bos innovation programme was held. All colleagues were challenged to submit innovations and to work in teams to further develop them into concrete new products and services for the organisation. This took place within five campaigns, aimed at different market segments: Smart Cities, Smart Cycles, Smarts Detas, Smart Infra and Mobility and Smart Company (aimed at innovative applications in business operations).

Besides the winning innovation, this programme also led to nine other products in 2018:

Automated Design of a River Crossing
Based on two minutes of input, ADRC designs a river crossing in line with currently applicable standards. It does this by using a location and the associated road and shipping traffic. Using ADRC, it takes just 30 minutes to generate structural/technical documents, a 3D model and a cost analysis.

Cycle Highway Accelerator
The Cycle Highway Accelerator is a design tool that accelerates feasibility studies for fast cycling routes thanks to automated conceptual design and evaluation of route options via a web portal. This allows governments to complete their cycling infrastructure projects on time, within budget and with public support.

My Plus (Dutch only)
My Plus provides Witteveen+Bos employees with the tools they need to optimise their development. The first step is to identify everyone's skills and ambitions. By linking colleagues to other talented people at the company and by working in groups, we at Witteveen+Bos succeed in creating an inspiring working environment and sense of solidarity.

ISAIRA
ISAIRA is a ‘lab-in-the-field’ method for measuring volatile organic compounds, intended to give Witteveen+Bos and other experts more insight into complex emission problems by continuously collecting data at component-specific level in real time.

Mijn-energieadvies.nl (Dutch only)
Large property managers, municipalities and homeowners who are faced with the complex task of converting existing homes so that they are gas-free can, with just a measuring device and online platform, automatically receive customised and comprehensive advice on how to make those buildings more sustainable.

Wave Impact on Harbours
WIHA is a cost-effective and accurate tool for optimising port design in a fast and user-friendly GIS environment. WIHA wave conditions can be applied directly in a Dynamic Mooring Analysis, when calculating port downtime and when assessing flood risks.

Hot Water Battery
The Hot Water Battery is a solution for the shortage of green, renewable heat in winter. This product is particularly innovative because excess energy is stored underground using a single source, at a greater depth and at higher temperatures than conventional systems.

Nature Inclusive Design for Offshore Development
Witteveen+Bos advises clients on the best way to integrate nature into offshore energy projects. By using a holistic approach, including a site analysis, suitable options from our long list of Nature Inclusive Designs are selected, developed and implemented in the field.

Plus Planning (Dutch only)
This innovation is aimed at improving business operations at Witteveen+Bos. Plus Planning is a user-friendly tool and app which can be used to easily and efficiently manage projects, capacity and scheduling and to provide real-time insight. The tool also provides real-time information about the progress of the project and the availability of team members.

+ communicatie@witteveenbos.com