De Ceuvel

Where a polluted shipyard became a living lab for circular design

De Ceuvel shows students a real place that took a ruined site and brought it back to life.

Ten years ago, this patch of Amsterdam North was a derelict, contaminated shipyard. Today it is one of Europe's most talked-about experiments in circular living, and it makes the ideas behind sustainability something your students can walk through rather than read about.

Old houseboats have been hauled out of the water and turned into workspaces. The polluted soil is being cleaned, slowly and naturally, by plants chosen for the job. Nothing here is hidden behind a fence or a plaque. Your group sees the whole thing working: the reclaimed materials, the clean-tech, the café that runs on the same principles.