Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The Netherlands was one of the first countries to dedicate public policy to improving the environment. Perhaps it is because the entire country is on average, five meters below sea level, but nevertheless, I was sure to find a treasure trove of interesting information relating to sustainable development in Amsterdam. And I did.

My first stop was at the Wilhelmina Hospital Grounds, more commonly called the WH Grounds, or Wilhelmina Gastuis, where a 'groundbreaking' project (in terms of sustainable building) was conceived in the early 1980s. The Dutch term for sustainable building is duurzaam bouwen, literally meaning durable building. This distinction is important because durability has quite a different connotation than our current understanding of sustainability.

The Wilhelmina Gastuis project (Pavilions 1 & 2) was a resident-driven sustainable renovation project, and included consideration of the existing qualities of the hospital buildings, careful selection of building materials, and construction of a green roof.