Plans have been announced to convert a section of canal in the heart of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, into a wave simulator to be home to surfing, kayaking, scuba diving and a host of other aquatic sports and activities.
The artificial river RiF010 – being built by Waveloch at a cost of €3.3m (US$4.4m, £2.6m) will be able to generate a 1.5m (4.9ft) wave while creating naturally-purified water inside the canal (replacing the existing pond water in the process). Also included will be a beach house, designed by Den Haag-based Morfis Architecture.
The attraction has secured a total of €3.6m (US$4.8m, £2.9m) in funding, with €3m (US$4m, €2.3m) coming from Bijdrage Stadsinitiatief – a community investment fund – while a further €580,000 (US$773,000, £461,000) has come from co-financiers TBI Infra and Waveloch.
According to the project’s developers, profit made from the wave will be reinvested to later add an independent windmill to generate electricity and provide power to the site.
