For "Sea level rise? Land level rise!," the exhibition accompanying the congress at the former monumental Les Tres Xemeneies hydroelectric power station in Besòs, designers Dirk Sijmons, Lodewijk van Nieuwenhuijze, Ro Koster, and Herman Kossmann—along with a team of co-designers, scientists, and artists—have created a presentation.
This presentation shows how we can allow our land to rise at the same rate as the inevitable rise in sea level by harnessing the forces of nature. It illustrates how “flood-retention landscapes” can be gradually formed in strategic locations by intelligently harnessing the immense power of the tides and the accompanying currents.
UIA 2026: "Sea level rise? Land level rise!" by H+N+S + RO&AD + Kossmandejong. Photograph courtesy of H+N+S + RO&AD + Kossmandejong.
The presentation consists of a monumental 8-minute short film, 16 spectacular information panels, and two large educational displays. Taken together, we show how we can awaken the natural forces that thrive at the confluence of fresh and salt water, which flood every six hours and recede, leaving behind a thin layer of sand and silt. In short, restoring this specific estuarine dynamic ensures the stabilization and retention of this gradual land uplift.
They demonstrate how robust nature can re-emerge at sea, on land, and in the intertidal zone—a nature that doesn't need to be protected like a greenhouse plant, but can ultimately help protect us.
UIA 2026: "Sea level rise? Land level rise!" by H+N+S + RO&AD + Kossmandejong. Photograph courtesy of H+N+S + RO&AD + Kossmandejong.
This “nature engineering”—the creation of coastal defense landscapes—could prove to be a form of civil engineering for advanced students. It is an addition to our water safety repertoire that also reflects a changing perspective on nature.
