Leading coastal specialist calls for change in reclamation and coastal works

AME Info 5 Mar 08;

Professor Kees d'Angremond, a leading consultant on coastal engineering, has called for major change in the way countries and corporations plan, execute and manage coastal development.

The effect of accelerated mega-project development on people and environments was at the heart of his closing keynote speech at PIANC-COPEDEC VII, the international coastal and port engineering conference.

At the start of a balanced address, the pre-eminent consultant from The Netherlands gave an overview of the world's biggest and most ambitious mega-projects.

He charted evolution in both size and technology from developments like the Suez and Panama Canals, which were completed in the mid-19th Century and the early 20th Century respectively, through Lake Ijssel's closure and reclamation in The Netherlands (1950s and '60s), Singapore's Tuas and Changi reclamation projects (1980s), Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok island airport (1990s), culminating with residence and leisure-based projects today in areas like the UAE (The Palm, The World), Oman (The Pearl), Bahrain and Qatar.

Prof d'Angremond focused on the effects these may be having on the natural world, noting that ever-larger projects have ever-larger and more widespread impact. However, he identified accelerated production times, rather than sheer size, as the main environmental issue.

'The Suez and Panama Canals, the Ijssel reclamation, the Delta Project, they were gigantic undertakings - far larger than the mega-projects of today. But Suez took 11 years to build. Including its initial failure, the Panama Canal took double that - at a cost of 27,500 lives. Ijssel took 40 years.'

But slower execution times are actually better for Mother Nature. Although average mega-project scales are three to five times smaller now, completion times are between one to three years on average. However, nature's response time remains a constant. This means the environmental effects are sometimes unclear until long after contractors and consultants have moved on.'

Prof d'Angremond emphasised the danger of less available time for concurrent evaluation. Short job times mean fewer critical engineers with less time observing how the environment is being affected. To offset this danger, he underscored the need for rapid response scenarios formulated in advance, money to be spent on more critical engineers on site, and more investment in post-construction monitoring - our 'after-care' service to Nature.

He also drew attention to what he called The Human Element.

'The stress factor for people working on mega-projects is increasing all the time,' he said. Accelerated planning and production has psychological and physical effects not only on employers, consultants and designers, but also very much on supervisors, shore staff and crews of workers on site.

According to Professor d'Angremond, pressure on The Human Element must be alleviated by innovation across a broad canvas. He called for a proactive approach to create professionals who can predict and plan for what may happen and who can also implement fast and successful countermeasures if and when a sudden crisis occurs. To do this, he explained, requires the introduction of new enterprise, organisation and financial models - plus crucially improved Human Resources management.

'Worldwide innovation usually addresses the small scale,' he observed. 'We are talking about nanotechnology, electronics, and communications. But in our industry, we need innovation on a scale to deal with water, climate and ecological sustainability.'

Praising the advanced state of coastal engineering as a discipline, Prof d'Angremond confidently stated it is around 99% developed. It cannot get much better. But given this fact, where are the opportunities for the large scale innovation?

He identified interface at various levels as the most significant opportunity. Through disciplinary interface, for example between engineering, geology and biology, the improvement of technology is still possible. These days engineering technology allows us to extend time horizons of morphological models by up to two centuries. As this is theoretical, we need to calibrate the model to prove it. How can we do that?

'Well, with the assistance of geology, we can prove the validity of a model by hindcasting to a known geological point in the past. If the model's hindcast matches the recorded reality, it can be said to be valid.'

More important, perhaps, are the potential interfaces between countries, cultures, and even corporate competitors. Involving borderless strategies and new business models is the way forward, according to Prof d'Angremond. This means more joint ventures and partnerships not only in the commercial world but also in Research & Development.

To date, 95% of worldwide research expenditure is concentrated in the northern hemisphere. Over two thirds originate in North America and Europe. By contrast, of the technical research papers and case studies presented at PIANC-COPEDEC VII, around 45% came from Asia. Only 4% originated in North America.

Partner papers, however - those written jointly by authors in more than one world area - accounted for 10% of selected submissions. This is a percentage Prof d'Angremond expects to increase at future PIANC-COPEDEC conferences.

On this positive note, he hailed coastal engineering as a borderless industry. 'Many of us have a growing feeling that the distinction between developing and developed countries is disappearing in our profession,' he said. 'Assessing the ethnicity of authors at the conference, then comparing them to where their papers originated, it is inspiring to see the high degree of overseas staff basing, general world travel links, and in particular university partnering.'

Prof d'Angremond was one of the many engineering veterans at PIANC-COPEDEC VII clearly delighted to see so many young students and professionals, the industry's next generation, taking part.

'Innovation must impact Education,' he said. 'Our need for 'global engineers' is paramount.'

He clarified that it is not only Education's role to provide a theoretical background. It must prepare the next generation for their jobs by bridging the gap between academic and real situations. This means curricula that build in more exposure to reality. Traineeships and partnerships with commercial firms during and after study help, he said, to enhance the independence of the next generation.

The students also need time to digest what they have learned. Ultimately, this means creating opportunities to combine academic knowledge and field observations, producing abstract experience and understanding. The best way to achieve this, in Prof d'Angremond's view, is to write about one's experience - to produce a case study. He expressed hope that future PIANC-COPEDEC conferences would see more and more such case studies presented.

Thanking Dubai Municipality for its funding of close to 100 Fellows from countries in transition, Prof d'Angremond said that PIANC-COPEDEC should remain the principal platform, not only for young people but all coastal development and science professionals worldwide, to discuss and present the merger between science and experience.

In summary, he called on universities and employers to demonstrate proactive vision, especially in the field of human resource development, even during the 'boom periods' of which now is an example.

PIANC-COPEDEC VII, hosted and organised by Dubai Municipality from 24-28 February, accommodated almost 1,000 delegates from 66 countries.

Sama Dubai was the conference's Platinum Sponsor. Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority was the Gold Sponsor. The Silver Sponsor was Dubai Maritime City.

Waterfront 2008, an exhibition of related products, services and technologies, ran concurrently. More than 30 international companies participated.