WEC Wadden Sea Experience design by Northern Light

For the World Heritage Center Wadden Sea (WEC) in Lauwersoog, we realized the Wadden Experience, based on a design by the design team of NorthernLight. It was a project in which literally all of our workshops were involved, and where we worked closely with AV integration to make the Wadden Sea experienceable with all the senses. Visitors discover the area interactively through image, sound, and installations. Quite a challenge—especially when your experience has to compete with actual baby seals.

Material Use
During the development of the final design, we worked closely with the design team to make the entire exhibition more sustainable. In addition to the full production in our local factory using renewable energy, many sustainable and reused materials were applied. For example, we used fiberboard from VanHier, made with local fibers. Hundreds of fish representing fish migration were 3D-printed using filament made from medical plastic waste—a residual stream that usually doesn’t get a second life. For the finishing of the large-scale model, we used reclaimed mooring posts, and the graphic layer was printed directly onto the wood.

Scale Model
One of the highlights is the Wadden scale model: a landscape of approximately 4 × 7 meters depicting the Wadden Sea and the northern Netherlands. The model is built from CNC-milled layers of plywood and was developed in collaboration with Rijkswaterstaat. Four projectors bring the landscape to life with projected imagery that is precisely mapped onto the shape of the model.

Rope
A recurring element in the exhibition is the use of rope stretched from floor to ceiling. In the workshop, we first developed a test setup, after which special steel ceiling and floor elements were designed to keep everything in place. In total, we used more than 100 running meters of rope as a backdrop for the entire experience.

More Highlights
Other elements of the exhibition include puzzle poufs from our upholstery workshop, a research lab with display cases and microscopes, an interactive water basin installation with enormous whiskers, and a moon installation with rotating planets and tides. There is so much to see!

in collaboration with: 

client: WEC
design: Northern Light
AV and software: Shosho en YIPP
Hardware: ATAtech
Light Design: 50Lux
Photography: Yvonne Witte