Up and beyond: Building a mountain in the Netherlands

In M.A.A. Boon (Ed.)
Conference Paper:
Proceedings of the 84th European Study Group Mathematics with Industry (SWI 2012)
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
January 30-February 3, 2012
pp. 104-125

Paulo J. De Andrade Serra (Eindhoven University of Technology), Tasnim Fatima (Eindhoven University of Technology), Andrea Fernandez (University of Bath), Tim Hulshof (Eindhoven University of Technology), Tagi Khaniyev (Middle East Technical University), Patrick J.P. van Meurs (Eindhoven University of Technology), Jan-Jaap Oosterwijk (Eindhoven University of Technology), Stefanie Postma (Leiden University), Vivi Rottschäfer (Leiden University), Lotte Sewalt (Leiden University), Frits Veerman (Leiden University)

Abstract

We discuss the idea of building a 2 km high mountain in the Netherlands. In this paper, we give suggestions on three important areas for the completion of this project. Issues like location, structure and sustainability are investigated and discussed in detail.

Keywords

building a mountain, high structure, the Netherlands

Introduction

The Netherlands does not have any tall mountains. Indeed, its name even derives from the fact that it is essentially flat. According to Thijs Zonneveld, a journalist and former professional cyclist, this is a serious shortcoming of his country. As a possible remedy, he proposed building a 2 kilometer high mountain in the Netherlands. The response was immense. Immediately, there was a lot of excitement at the prospect of building a mountain, but also a fair amount of skepticism about whether it can actually be done (see [11]). In this report we aim to address some of the obstacles and opportunities that may arise in the construction of such a mountain.

The idea of building a massive structure is not new. In the past, numerous plans have been proposed for extremely tall buildings and structures. However, what all these plans have in common is that they never left the drawing board.

The Dutch, however, are renowned for their large-scale engineering works such as the dikes, polders, and the Delta Works. Still, it is not hard to see that building a mountain would dwarf these accomplishments by comparison. Consider that currently, at a height of 828 meters, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world – truly a marvel of modern engineering. Imagine then the extremely special care and consideration, the vast amount of work and the incredible ingenuity that is required to achieve a structure that is more than double that height. After Thijs Zonneveld proposed building a mountain, a group of companies joined forces in the organization ‘Die Berg komt er!’

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http://www.tue.nl/publicatie/ep/p/d/ep-uid/282446/

http://repository.tue.nl/752008

http://purl.tue.nl/935863028769923.pdf