The Maasvlakte II project, a large artificial expansion of the port of Rotterdam, represents one of the most advanced manifestations of port infrastructure, revealing an unprecedented potential as a complex active territorial threshold between operational functions and the coastal environment.
The landscape plan developed by H+N+S Landscape Architects (H+N+S, 2023) introduces a system of buffer zones, public pathways, and environmental interfaces, with the aim of redefining the boundary between port and landscape.
The port system is configured as a hybrid device, defining a new waterfront in continuity with the territory. It is a first step towards an infrastructure that integrates with the surrounding natural environment, reflecting the vision of Carola Hein, according to whom «through the (re)creation of multifunctional spaces where port and city can mix, through the exploration of port influence throughout the territory—the port cityscape» (Hein, 2019)
The study focuses on the importance of the threshold between sea and port as an activator of new shared spatial experiences: spatial continuity is prioritized, and the waterfront, if properly designed, becomes a generator of new opportunities.
As Beatrice Moretti observes about Maasvlakte II, «In fact, the terminal was not only conceived as a commercial platform and an industrial hub but also as a large natural infrastructure.» emphasizing how the design logic extends the function of infrastructure beyond its technical dimension.
The contribution proposes a reading of port infrastructure and its boundary with the sea as a device capable of reconfiguring relationships and continuities within the territory, overcoming the traditional separation between functionally distinct areas.
The methodology will involve data analysis and cartographic processing, to understand the morphology of infrastructures and their design potential, and to hypothesize adaptable strategies for other contemporary port contexts.
Bibliography
- H+N+S Landscape Architects, Landscape Plan – Maasvlakte 2, H+N+S, 2023. Available online: https://hnsland.nl/en/projects/landscape-plan-maasvlakte-2
- Hein, C. (2021). Port City Porosity: Boundaries, Flows, and Territories. Urban Planning, 6(3), Cogitatio Press, Lisbon.
- Moretti, B. (2020). Beyond the Port City: The Condition of Portuality and the Threshold Concept. Preface by Carmen Andriani, Postface by Carola Hein, Jovis Verlag, Berlin.
