By
Rebecca Gibson |
This article was first published in Spring/Summer 2018 issue of the International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
Bolidt, a Dutch family business that spans many industries with its thermosetting synthetics, is predominantly recognised in the maritime sector as a specialist in the development and installation of decking solutions for passenger ships. Its durable, but adaptable, products offer architects and designers limitless possibilities when it comes to turning concepts into reality.
Building on its commitment to innovation in the passenger shipping industry, Bolidt is constructing a first-of-its-kind Experience & Innovation Centre, in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht at the heart of Rotterdam’s maritime cluster.
Scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2019, the facility is the centrepiece of Bolidt’s efforts to drive technological innovation by engaging the imaginations of current and future customers – including shipowners, architects, academia and young people. The centre is expected to welcome 12,500 – 15,000 visitors through its doors every year, offering them the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of synthetic flooring and decking, and explore its creative and technical potential via interactive exhibits.
“In building this unique centre, Bolidt is inviting key industry influencers to join us in brainstorming, to spark future research projects for our laboratory,” explains Michel van der Spek, Bolidt’s marketing and experience director. “The centre will be both a stimulus and an incubator for fresh innovation, based upon five core themes: design, sustainability, energy and data, safety and hygiene.”
Bolidt’s innovation centre was designed by a consortium of architects, including Lüchinger Architects, RoosRos Architects and Kossmann.dejong. As well as offering a visitor centre, the facility includes increased storage capacity and facilities to boost the production of prefabricated products.
The facility will be part of a hive of activity, surrounded by bars, restaurants, gyms and other enterprises designed to attract visitors to the area by day and night. But those joining the Bolidt tour will start their visit in the centre of Rotterdam at the waterside New York hotel, immediately immersing themselves in maritime heritage at the former head office of cruise brand Holland America Line. They will be transported by high-speed RIB, waterbus or water taxi to the new centre, heading up the Noord river through the heart of one of Holland’s maritime hubs, which is also home to shipbubilders Damen, Oceanco, Heerema and Royal IHC. During the journey, visitors will listen to an audio guide detailing Bolidt’s wide range of projects across all sectors.
Innovation often comes from other industry sectors, and it is Bolidt’s aim to ensure that each visitor arrives at the facility informed about how the solutions have become success stories outside in their area of business. A shipowner may climb onboard the high-speed RIB knowing only of cruise ship decking, but will disembark at the boathouse with a full picture of what Bolidt does and how its materials are used globally.
Uniquely, the Experience & Innovation Centre itself will push the design envelope, with its interior walls made entirely of glass to embody the transparency of Bolidt’s open-source laboratory and research and development facilities. The centre will support Bolidt’s vision for its decking and surface innovations to be developed in partnership with its maritime customers, in plain sight.
“At Bolidt, we take pride in the innovations made possible across a range of industries through our development of synthetic decking and flooring,” says Jacco van Overbeek, director of the company’s Maritime Division. “The new centre embodies our continuing commitment to research and development, and the fact that we believe that there is significant scope for customers to transplant Bolidt solutions from one industry to another.”
Virtual and augmented reality glasses throughout the centre will enable cruise representatives to experience how Bolidt solutions could be fitted onboard their ships. These visitors will also be encouraged to get hands-on with a range of liquid to solid resin-based flooring materials. A floor full of exhibits will also allow them to see and feel products, while a large ‘mixing wall’ will show Bolidt materials being mixed and poured to highlight how two components create a solid product.
Visitors will also learn how heat and chemical resistance affect decking materials. Highlights will include ‘Inzoomer’ microscope stations showing how materials are modified at the molecular level to be anti-microbial or fire resistant, and a virtual reality demonstration of the craftsmanship involved in installing Bolidt materials. People will also be able to watch materials mechanical impact testing, see thermal and chemical testing equipment, and the ‘Cliffhanger’, where Bolidt can demonstrate the strength of its materials – including using it to suspend a car from the ceiling.
“Bolidt’s research and development facilities are second to none, and our innovation for maritime has resulted in a well-deserved reputation as industry pioneers,” says Van der Spek. “The recent launch of Bolideck Glow, a decking solution that stores solar energy during the day for luminosity at night, has been exemplary. But innovation does not only come from inventing new materials: the inspiration behind the non-skid surface for the world-first Ferrari racetrack onboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Joy is a perfect example of the creative possibilities available through cross-fertilisation between applications. It came about after the customer became aware that Bolidt had developed and installed ring bridge decks on thousands of square metres of wearing courses on bridges worldwide.”