Test bed for festivals and construction companies for emission-free, circular, and biobased building.
AUG 27-31
At Into The Great Wide Open, we are literally building the future together with the construction world. This year, the Building Site of the Future is emerging in various locations on Vlieland: a unique intersection for the festival and construction sectors. A testing ground for emission-free, circular, and biobased construction, spread across the island, where we experiment with sustainable innovations together with partners such as BAM, TBI, and Stichting Doen.
Festivals provide the perfect experimental space for sustainable innovation: their temporary nature makes it possible to realize sustainable ideas, from conceptualization to practical experimentation. With the festival grounds as a base and the expertise of the construction sector, sustainable solutions are developed that help both the construction sector and the festival sector transition to a circular and emission-free future. No theory, but practice: experiments with fully electric transport, biobased geotextiles, and constructive work with sustainable materials such as bamboo.
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emission-free energy
Where many festivals and construction sites still rely on fossil generators and high power requirements, the Construction Site of the Future in 2025 operated entirely on local solar energy and green hydrogen. Thanks to a smart network of mobile batteries, grid connections, and hydrogen generators, and by combining knowledge and resources, this sustainable solution has become a reality.
emission-free construction equipment and transport
The transition to emission-free energy on-site also made emission-free construction equipment possible: electric forklifts, vans, aerial work platforms, and other equipment have been loaded on-site this year with electricity from Dutch sun and wind. In collaboration with the Top Sector Logistics, experiments are also being conducted with emission-free transport: fossil trucks have been replaced by electric examples for all incoming and outgoing transportation of materials, food, and equipment. The knowledge gained is being compiled into a blueprint that accelerates the sustainable mobility transition in both the construction and festival sectors.
biobased and circular building materials
An important goal is to replace fossil materials with biobased alternatives. This year, for the first time, a biobased geotextile was tested under the remopla (clickable plate system) in the backstage (thanks to BAM and Joosten Groep) – a product that is widely used both in construction and at festivals. In addition, the Construction Site took steps in constructive building with sustainable materials, such as bamboo. This fast-growing material stores a lot of CO₂, grows in poor soil, and is incredibly strong. By realizing constructions on-site and starting certification processes with Studio Akeka, specialized in building with bamboo, the barriers for large-scale constructive application of biobased materials are reduced. The plan is to even build a stage from bamboo in 2026.
water (from 2026)
By 2026, we will add a new pillar: water. The urgency is great due to increasing salinization, climate change, PFAS and pharmaceutical residues, nitrogen and phosphate issues, pressure on wastewater treatment plants, and our dependence on imports and waste exports. The construction sector is also facing challenges due to high drinking water usage and the need for local purification to prevent discharges into sewers and surface water. Therefore, there is a need for local, circular, energy-positive, and emission-free solutions. We are collaborating with organizations and companies that want to utilize the Construction Site of the Future to innovate faster, better, and more broadly.
Report Construction Site of the Future 2025
To measure is to know and to report is learning further. That's why the Construction Site of the Future published a report in December 2025 with all the results from the 2025 edition summarized. In addition to lessons and conclusions for ourselves, these are also relevant insights for the construction sector, the events industry, knowledge partners, and policymakers to build further. Below is the complete report and the summary to read.
Stay informed
Receive updates, insights, and invitations directly in your mailbox. The results of the Construction Site of the Future 2025 and the Synergy Hackathon will be shared here later in a report.
Contact
Do you have questions about the Construction Site of the Future, or do you want to build with us? Email eefjecolsen@intothegreatwideopen.nl.
FOR the press
Press releases and accompanying images are located in the press kit.
