Courtesy Netherlands Society for Nature and the Environment 

OMA and Rem Koolhaas have released an ambitious plan for the North Sea that would produce all the electricity for Dutch households via offshore wind power before 2020. Commissioned by the Netherlands Society for Nature and the Environment, the plan would create North Sea wind parks as a “sustainable battery for Europe.” Further, OMA believes its plan would “bridge the divide” that separates the seven countries around the North Sea by exploring other potentials of the sea. By linking several different wind parks, OMA claims, “in a clever way, vast contiguous new nature areas can be created. Wind parks could provide a shelter to fish and other animals. Since fishing is not allowed in wind parks, artificial reefs could enrich the sea life.” OMA and Koolhaas certainly never think small or rigidly about the limits of architectural practice, and their audacious explorations may offer suggestions to other practices seeking commissions in these hard times.