Koudekerke Beach, Dishoek, The Netherlands

Designed by RO&AD Architecten, the beach station of Dishoek is a first project that should become an example for this objective.

The ambition of the beach manager in Walcheren is to become the most sustainable beach in the Netherlands.

The entire beach station is made of second-hand material, from former beach boards for the facade and second-hand partitions to overhauled shutter winches.

The beach station has also been made completely self-sufficient in energy. The beach post must become an example for future other beach developments, such as beach clubs, surf schools and beach shacks.

The SSV manages all beaches on the Zeeland island of Walcheren for the municipality of Veere.

The ambition is to make Walcherse beach the most sustainable beach in the Netherlands in the coming years.

This beach post, from which the lifeguards manage and monitor the beach, consisted of a number of containers and had to be renewed.

In order to have a good view of the beach, the beach post had to be built quite a bit up the beach.

As a result, an elongated building has been created, with at the bottom the public functions such as a first aid post, a boathouse for the water scooter, showers and toilets, and at the top the areas for security and changing rooms for the lifeguard.

The entire building is constructed from second-hand material.

For example, the toilets are a recycled unit from Vrouwenpolder and the construction consists of second-hand braking works and mooring posts.

Partition walls for the showers also consist of recycled walls from camping showers.

The other material is also sustainably harvested locally as much as possible.

For example, straw was used for the insulation material of floors, roof and facades, which was pressed loose into prefabricated cassettes.

Energetically, the building is more than self-sufficient.

The building supplies electricity to the adjacent beach sheds.

Project: Dishoek Beach Station
Architects: RO&AD Architecten
Design Team: Ro Koster, Ad Kil, Martin van Overveld, Daphne Boogaard, and Luuk Hulskamp
General Contractor: Van Hese Infra, Middelburg
Contractor: Cerfix, Heinkenszand
Installation: GePa Installation Technology, Bergen op Zoom
Client: Veere Beach Exploitation Foundation
Photographers: Katja Effting