Rotterdam will have a Wavepool in 2015

Did you know that Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, owes its name to the river Rotte (and the dam it houses)? It’s also about to become the world’s newest urban surfing site. A canal that runs off Rotte, called Steigersgracht, will be shut off from the rest of the river. And it’s there, right in the middle of the city’s retail centre, that an artificial 1.5 meter wave will live. It’s name is RiF010 (props for not calling it The Experience or WaterWaveWorld or some shit), and work starts this month.

Initiated by Edwin van Viegen, the wave pool’s campaign in the City Initiative was successful and will be developed by Delft University of Technology. And what was proposed? A complete canal facelift that includes an artificial wave.

It is a river wave, but unlike its distant cousin, Munich’s Eisbach, it’s not stationary – rather, it’s a 14-second river wave that barrels. Right now, the canal hosts unsweetened pond water, but part of the plan is to create naturally-purified water. The whole concept and all technical aspects are about durability and self-sustainability. Any profit made from the wave will be re-invested in the project. Like, building the canal its own windmill to generate an independent power supply.

As all wavepools in the late 20-tweens must, the site will also have a beach house with food and drinks for spectators. There’ll also be a second reef for the less experienced. These two things, while not winning any cool points, are musts – these things ain’t free to run.

Expect to see Dutchmen hoping on the good foot by May 2015.

How about this for a mock-up?