Like his other conceptual projects (for example, the study of the prospects for the development of the automotive industry, carried out by OMA and AMO for Volkswagen), the architect developed this program for a specific client, in this case - the Dutch foundation Natuur en Milieu ("nature and environment").
According to Koolhaas, the North Sea is one of the best zones on the planet in terms of installing "wind farms" - clusters of wind turbines that generate electricity (thanks to the speed of winds and shallow waters, as well as the high population density and developed research base of coastal countries). If this potential is fully developed, then by the middle of the 21st century, Europe will be able to completely abandon the use of Middle Eastern oil.
When creating a plan called Zeekracht - “the power of the sea”, the architects of the OMA bureau were inspired by the ideas of Hugo de Groot, a Dutch philosopher and legal scholar of the 17th century, who considered the sea a free territory for all countries to share.
Therefore, the project envisages joint actions of all countries entering the North Sea, especially since they all have already faced the consequences of both the energy crisis and, first of all, global warming. In this regard, work on the implementation of the ideas of Koolhaas and his workshop should begin as soon as possible, experts at Natuur en Milieu believe.
Zeekracht does not set strict time frames or procedures for creating a new energy system: all the details must be clarified during its implementation, depending on the specific opportunities and difficulties.
It involves the creation of an "energy super-ring" - a basic infrastructure for supplying energy to consumers, a "conveyor", which will include production and related research facilities, "reefs" - artificially created marine ecosystems that stimulate their natural counterparts and "fertility" of the sea, and also an International Research Center in charge of international cooperation and research.
The "wind farms" located in a huge ring will be located far from the coast (so their productivity will be higher), and will not be an obstacle to shipping. They can be located next to depleted underground natural gas reservoirs, which will be used as energy storage, or next to existing fields, forming hybrid energy complexes. Farms erected near the sea routes will be able to serve as "filling stations" for ships. Other similar structures, located near special ecological zones or around idle oil and gas platforms, will become centers of eco-rehabilitation, new recreation parks or hiking trails.
Koolhaas also emphasized in his project the key role of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the implementation of Zeekracht, which should set an example for neighboring countries by being the first to actively build wind turbines.
