Second Nature

For the visionary Adriaan Geuze, constructed landscape is ‘second nature.’ A ‘built’ nature that responds to pragmatic demands such as water management, population growth or sustainability, while at the same time re­inforcing the culture to which it belongs. His planning and design ac­tivities follow, firstly, a classic civil engineering logic based on utility and necessity and, secondly, a landscape tradition that confers identity and understands the need for creating symbols. With this approach, his firm has established an excellent reputation at international level. It acknow­ledges that Geuze’s team creates a link between contemporary culture, urban identity, architecture, public space and engineering, while always taking the general context into account. By embracing this overall planning approach, West 8 masters the art of not only creating new land, but also painting it. In many ways, this is the soul of Dutch culture.