FabCityNature IJmuiden aan Zee

An empty plain, a view of a tranquil dune lake, the harbor, beach sea and industry. Always wind, sand and sun. That is the area around the Seaport Marina in IJmuiden. At this location, the municipality of Velsen will develop in the next ten years,  an innovative, outer-dike coastal village. FabCityNature is the forerunner and innovation phase of this development and explores the potential of the area. An experimental playground for a sustainable future and the everyday life of tomorrow.

In the next five to ten years, we have the time to work on-site on innovative models and prototypes, which respond to both urgent and current issues as well as the contraventions in the area. In order to learn how to build with nature. To develop innovations, also of great value outside this area. Produced locally, but connected worldwide by joining the extensive and international network of FabCity Global.

Mission

FabCityNature: ‘An experimental playground for a sustainable future and the everyday life of tomorrow.’

FabCityNature is built on three pillars:
CAMPUS: the 'experimental playground'. Experimenting, learning and evolving together.
COMMUNITY: connected with each other and the area. Experiencing, sharing and growing. DESIGN: temporary buildings and public space. Investigate, test and innovate.

Campus, Community and Design are filled with open calls. This creates an open platform that offers surplus value for everyone.

Location IJmuiden aan Zee

IJmuiden aan Zee. A unique place in the Netherlands, in a crucial location. Various, powerful and raw identities collide. Port, sea, industry, beach and nature. A place where urgent issues such as coastal development, new identity, watersafety, climate change, sea level rise, new living and working methods and the everyday life of tomorrow come together.

IJmuiden aan Zee is situated at the crossroads of the Amsterdam metropolitan area and the Dutch coastline. It is the place to take new steps from the urgency of today's issues and the increasing pressure on the city. Responding to ecological, economic and social sustainability, with a new perspective on spatial quality.

https://vimeo.com/278633396

A special place to stay. Tiny Houses, testing new ways of living and simply being in nature.

Experimental playground’. Experiment, learning and evolve.

Campus FabCityNature

The aim of the Campus is to explore the potential and identity of the area in the innovation phase prior to area development. Learning, testing and sharing together are central. Ideas become concrete, applicable and made visible to the visitor. Innovations can be further developed in the permanent phase. We are working on strengthening links between the forces of the area; nature, sea, port and industry. With exchanges between different networks; education, research institutions, governments, designers and companies.

Water safety and living outside the dikes

The Netherlands and water: an ancient battle. Nine million Dutch live in the coastal zone. With rising sea levels and a declining hinterland, it is necessary to work on water safety. The National Coastal Vision, drawn up by the Coast Delta Program, provides guidance for the development of a safe and economically strong coast. Today and in the future. From dikes to new dunes, we grow with the sea.

New lifestyle

Urban Nature Nomads. The urgency of, but also the desire for, a new way of life is great. A growing group is looking for what that new lifestyle should be. Health, a conscious lifestyle and giving meaning to what you do are important ingredients for the 'every day life of tomorrow'. This means taking care of yourself, the people and the world around you. City and country, concrete and green, ecology and economy. Everything is inextricably intertwined.

Connected to eachother and the area. Experience, share and grow.

Community FabCityNature

The FabCityNature Community is created by sharing unique stories and valuable experiences from people in the area. Varying from findings of scientific experiments to the photos of a campfire on a weekday. All programs and activities contribute to the formation of the community. This can be done through blogs, vlogs, websites, instagram, snapchat, facebook and other forms of social media. It is precisely the sharing and linking of stories and experiences, and the interaction between offline and online, between photo and story, between present and future, between expert, a local passer-by, beach lover, angler and extreme athlete that make the real value tangible.

Fissa

The Fissa's are the first steps towards building an active community around FabCityNature. For the Fissa, a dinner at different places in the area, people from different parties are brought together; local residents, entrepreneurs, government, designers and educators. Cooperation between both established parties and newcomers in the area strengthens the meaning of the Fissa's. During the dinner, the potential of the area becomes visible, conversations take place and ideas arise.

Temporary buildings and public space. Investigate, testing and innovate.

Design FabCityNature

Temporary buildings and public space show the researching, testing and innovative character in design. A wide audience can participate in and learn about the experiments and innovations that are tested in the area. For the testing parties, the interaction with a wide audience provides valuable input. All contrasts in the area are brought together in design, visualized or highlighted. The extreme form of the design is examined and there is room for experiments and statements. The design gives prominence in the environment and far beyond.

The path

The path is the backbone of FabCityNature and takes care of the routing in the area. We are moving from focusing on car mobility to an area for residing, walking and cycling. The path is not unambiguous, but consists of various components, such as jetty, bridge sections, walkway, grandstand, stairs, screens and more. During the development the path expands. Every phase a part is added, like inviting new connections in the area.

Join us!

FabCityNature is an open platform, in which we will learn to build with nature. As a member of the global FabCity network we present with FabCityNature an international showcase, in which area, urban and nature development and climate change come together. FabCityNature is working on innovative models, prototypes, typologies and processes, also of value for implementation elsewhere. It offers the opportunity to discover how we can develop a truly climate proof, sustainable coastal town in IJmuiden aan Zee.