Tiel-Waardenburg dike reinforcement project

Along the river Waal, nearly twenty kilometres of dike between Tiel and Waardenburg are being reinforced. Neolithic Robotic is producing a series of slope stairs for the project, each designed for its own location along the dike. The first stair has now been installed.

The challenge

The Tiel-Waardenburg dike reinforcement project is part of the national Flood Protection Programme (HWBP). The dike runs through villages, nature reserves and historic landscapes, so almost every section requires a site-specific solution, including access, landscape integration and safe use by residents, visitors and maintenance teams.

The solution

Slope stairs provide safe access between the inner and outer slopes for inspection, maintenance and recreation. We design each stair parametrically to the geometry of its location, produce the elements as prefab in our robotic facility in Haarlem and then install them on the dike.

Result

Because material is placed only where it is structurally required, the stairs use less material and generate less waste. This results in a lower Environmental Cost Indicator (MKI) than comparable conventional prefab solutions. More stairs will follow along the dike in the coming months.