Afsluitdijk

In 2021, Waco was commissioned to engineer, manufacture and deliver 6 prefabricated concrete suction bells and volutes that make up pump houses for the Afsluitdijk.The suction bells are each divided into four equal parts, and the 6 volutes are each divided into 8 parts, consisting of reinforced concrete elements.

Six pump blocks, each nine metres tall, ensure that the pumping stations at Den Oever can still discharge water from the IJsselmeer into the Wadden Sea during exceptionally high water levels.A complex job where precision is crucial.

From 2024, the pumps combined can move 235,000 litres of water per second from the IJsselmeer into the Wadden Sea.To guarantee this pumping capacity, the pump blocks must meet the highest requirements. Therefore, they have been completely custom-designed and manufactured. The so-called snail shells are made up of thirteen elements. The armour was bent using a special method, and special moulds were also created for this using 3D models. This was done so we could check and compare with the theoretical models. The snail shells each have a complex round shape with minimal tolerance.