This project, the bank replacement between the Kooyhaven and the lock at the Oostoeverweg, clearly went beyond replacing outdated banks.

Maarten Vos, Technical Manager on behalf of Beens-Hakkers, explains: “The project called for an integrated approach in which circularity, emission reduction, biodiversity, and social return on investment come together.”

Circularity was central to virtually every design and execution choice.

More than half of the 660 meters of installed steel sheet piles came from the Twente Canals and were given a second life near Den Helder.

Wood and concrete released from other projects within the province were also reused.

By reusing existing materials, we were able to limit the demand for new raw materials and thus drastically reduce the environmental impact.

Sustainable acceleration

“We have also made significant strides in the area of ​​emission-free operations. For the work around the Kooyhaven, we used our Ms Jan, an electrically powered work vessel equipped with an electric crane. For this project, we were able to utilize shore power in the port. However, as a consortium of contractors, we are also investing in alternative energy sources, such as floating hydrogen charging stations. It is precisely a long-term partnership that makes these types of investments possible, because innovations do not need to pay for themselves within a single project. This creates room to truly accelerate the sustainability of the sector,” says Daaf de Rijke, Project Manager at Hakkers.

Circular forward thinking

This circular approach requires a different way of collaborating and thinking ahead.

Vos: “We temporarily store materials that become available in a depot that we have set up and manage together with the province. Thanks to the shared insight into future projects within the SOK, we can consider circular applications as early as the design phase. As a result, reuse becomes not only more sustainable, but also more economically attractive and practically feasible.”

A concrete example of this integrated approach is the bat bunker near the Kooybrug.

This robust shelter is constructed entirely from parts of a salvaged concrete culvert from another project within the province.

Using reclaimed wood, the bunker is divided into various chambers, creating a stable, dark, and humid indoor climate; ideal for hibernating bats such as the Eurasian dark bat.

The bunker shows how residual materials can also be used to make an innovative contribution to biodiversity and nature development.

Flexible executing

De Rijke: “The execution of the project simultaneously presented significant challenges. Parts of the work area proved to be suspect territory due to possible unexploded aircraft bombs from World War II. We therefore had to manually excavate old riverbanks layer by layer, under the guidance of specialists using magnetic probes. This required flexibility and close coordination within the construction team. By adjusting the design at an early stage, we were able to largely compensate for the unforeseen additional costs and keep the project manageable.”

Promoting biodiversity and SROI

In addition to circularity, biodiversity played an important role in the project.

Traditional stone riprap gave way to gentle slopes with natural vegetation.

This creates an attractive habitat for plants, insects, fish, and birds.

Because young nature-friendly banks are vulnerable to wave action, circular breakwaters made of recycled wood have been installed.

In this way, sustainability and ecology directly reinforce each other in practice.

Vos: “The societal added value of the project goes beyond sustainability and ecology alone. Various components of the project, including parts of jetties and a slipway, were produced by people facing barriers to employment. This gives social return on investment a visible and practical implementation within the execution.”

Continuous pursuit of improvement

The original sustainability objectives from the SOK have been significantly exceeded: on average, an 85% reduction in environmental costs was achieved.

The target of 50% material reuse was also significantly exceeded.

In the meantime, the SOK has been extended by two years, with an expected reduction of 95% in environmental costs.

According to Jeroen Braakman, senior project manager at the Province of North Holland, a long-term collaboration leads to results that are difficult to achieve with standalone projects.

By bundling projects into a multi-year agreement, you can make optimal use of released materials.

In addition, you encourage sustainable investments that cannot be recouped in a single project.

By continuously striving for improvement together, we become increasingly efficient and ambitious.

It was precisely that combination of shared ambitions, long-term collaboration, and continuous innovation that made the approach at Kooyhaven special.

Within the construction team, the focus was not on standard solutions or short-term results, but on the shared conviction that this project can contribute to a future-proof living environment.

With the extension of the SOK until 2028, we are continuing to build on that shared ambition together with Beens Groep and Hakkers: with sustainable impact that remains visible to future generations.

The official unveiling took place at the Sasdijk, in the presence of Mayor Lichtenberg and Alderman Schipper of the municipality of Altena. Mayor Lichtenberg expressed his appreciation for the initiative: “It is wonderful what Koninklijke Hakkers is doing in the context of their 150th anniversary. These seven beautiful benches in prominent locations in Werkendam are a valuable addition, and I hope residents will make frequent use of them.” Alderman Schipper also emphasized the importance of this type of initiative for the livability of the village. “That Koninklijke Hakkers is giving shape to its long-standing bond with Werkendam in such a meaningful way deserves great appreciation.”

The locations were deliberately chosen along the river, which has formed an important connection for Hakkers for decades to project locations at home and abroad.

The Koninklijke Hakkers Groep has been based in Werkendam since 1875 and traces its origins to willow and reed work in the Biesbosch.

Out of that connection to the area, Hakkers would like to give something back to the village it has called home for generations.

Inwoners van Werkendam worden van harte uitgenodigd om plaats te nemen op de bankjes en mee te kijken over het water dat zo’n belangrijke rol speelt in het verhaal van het bedrijf. QR codes have been placed near the benches that visitors can scan. These lead to short videos in which a piece of Hakkers’ history is told and in which it is visible how the company and Werkendam have been connected for 150 years.

With this anniversary initiative, Hakkers wants not only to look back on the past, but above all to add something to the outdoor space that residents use every day.

Learning and improving in every trajectory

The strength of this program lies in continuous learning.

After each phase, the partners review what can be improved and immediately incorporate those insights into the next project. “The strength of a programmatic approach with a long-term cooperation agreement is that you can continuously improve,” says Jeroen Braakman, senior project manager at the Province of North Holland.

We derive lessons learned from every waterway section that we can immediately apply to the next one. We challenge each other to go the extra mile in terms of sustainability and efficiency every time. A long-term collaboration provides contractors with stability and comfort. They dare to be more transparent; after all, we use the lessons learned for improvement, not to hold each other accountable.

Through this approach, not only does collaboration grow, but so does ambition.

Moreover, the province is using the learning process to raise its own standards.

We play a driving role within the Sustainable Infrastructure program. This approach demonstrates that sustainable collaboration is efficient and effective. The fact that we are now raising our Environmental Cost Indicator ambition from 80% to 95% is a great example of this.

In recent years, the use of electric equipment has increased.

This allows the work to be carried out almost entirely emission-free.

We take that for granted by now, but for others, this is still very innovative.

“We can all be proud of that,” said Braakman.

Trust as the basis for innovation

Innovation requires space.

And space is only created when there is trust. In the Beens Groep – Hakkers construction team, it is all about that trust: improving, experimenting, and investing together. “A formal contract and process agreements are necessary, but collaboration is primarily about people,” says Jan Junte, Business Manager at Beens Groep.

In this construction team, it is all about trust and transparency. This allows us to experiment in testbeds, innovate in equipment, and invest in large quantities of reusable material.

That yields concrete results.

For example, since 2024, a floating hydrogen charging station has been charging electric equipment on-site, which means less transport, lower emissions, and greater efficiency.

Our guys on the shop floor no longer have to sail to a shore charging station every day.

That saves a lot of transport movements and time.

We work not only as emission-free as possible, but also as circularly as possible.

We give steel sheet piles from the Twente canals a second life and come up with creative uses for old wooden sheet piles.

Consider, for example, rubbing strakes, capping beams, and the shielding of sheltered areas.

We also have test gardens to increase biodiversity.

Experimentation and learning can be found at all levels of the collaboration: from the construction team to our colleagues on the shop floor.

In every project, we take new steps that benefit efficiency and sustainability.

“The courage to invest in innovation and sustainability is a major common denominator in the collaboration with the province and Hakkers,” Junte concludes proudly.

One team, one direction

The agreement with Beens Groep and the Province of North Holland cannot be compared to a traditional contract; this collaboration creates connection.

“We form a close-knit team with the province as the client, with an eye for each other’s long-term interests,” says Hein van Laar, Commercial Director at Hakkers.

That is how you build trust. And you need that trust to invest seriously in innovative solutions that do not pay for themselves in the short term, such as the development of a floating charging station with a hydrogen fuel cell.

Because the Beens Groep-Hakkers consortium is in charge of the design itself, sustainability and feasibility are incorporated directly from the drawing board.

“Together, we already make smart choices in the design phase,” Van Laar continues.

We record these in a partial agreement with a transparent quotation. As a result, there are hardly any deviations during the execution phase. With a fixed team, we safeguard acquired knowledge and experience, allowing us to work smarter and more efficiently project after project.

In addition, Van Laar emphasizes the strength of the Beens Groep-Hakkers combination.

We are both family businesses with a similar culture and the same expertise. As a result, we can scale up capacity effortlessly. In major projects such as the widening of the Twente Canals and major maintenance on national waterways – the so-called GOVa projects – we have jointly built up a wealth of experience working along canals. We can be proud of that, too.