Terps

Terp is a word in the dutch language that is common used in the world for describing an artificial hill as part of water management in times before dike-building. The first people who entered the low lands live on natural hills, the natural hills was their protection (‘dry/high harbor’) in times of high water. When these natural hills became over crowed, people make their own artificial hills for their farm buildings or did it in a joint structure with others.

In areas/countries equal or even under sealevel the terp concept is gaining rapidly in popularity by the climate change discussions: some scientist see controlling incidental or rising high water levels no longer as the only valid option. The powers of an rising the sea are much much stronger than the defending structures mankind can made. Sequential to this new look gains the terp new popularity.

Terp structures can be made of sand, but that gives two mayor problems: 1) low lands are weak lands: the terp will just drown it the soil by its weight 2) sand deposits in low lands in the neighborhood of seas gives certainly soil salination problems.

Building new dikes as road, inland roads as double safety dikes and terps as plateaus based on empty concrete structures is a solution more and more become a concept in water management of low lands in the neighborhood of seas. Giving the landscape an extra usable layer.

TNO is searching for use possibilities for these new to be developed giant spaces. These empty concrete structures are so perfect for growing vegetables, fruit, flowers, herbs, pharma, fish and seafruit under control of Grow|OS by Crop/Fish Profiles.

Greenhouses based on Grow|OS can uses these ‘underground’ spaces, logistical companies too, but the need for space of local food production is very, very high and has a good income per square meter.

And even convinient: On top of these terps there is plenty of space for beautiful green type of residential neighbourhoods or some residential or office towers. Concentrated new villages, high neighbourhoods or long lined inland dikes/roads/railways.

Giving water safety, freeing land use by ugly greenhouse landscapes, giving new space for houses, giving new space for leisure parks, giving new spaces for transportation infrastructures and giving local food production.