Expendable Dikes Thesis Internship 5716

Job title:

Expendable Dikes Thesis Internship 5716

Company:

Royal HaskoningDHV

Job description

Towards more adaptable and expendable dike designs – thinking outside the dike improvement project box.What you do as a graduate internMany dike improvement projects currently take place along the Dutch rivers. Their goal is to reduce flood risk to levels below the Dutch safety standards, while simultaneously making them ready for climate change with increased discharges. The Netherlands is a country where every square meter has a goal. Dike improvement projects require lots of space and have significant land take. Often on the inner side of the dike, houses have been constructed, leaving little to no room for the dike improvement. On the outer side of the dike, a dike improvement project will constrict the flow through the rivers. This will result in increased water levels, affecting surrounding dikes as well. Hence, instead of using soil to increase the height and stability of the dike, the decision is made to use structural elements, such as sheet piling.There are several issues with this decision: the sheet pile has a limited technical lifetime (~100 years), meaning they have to be replaced in 100 years due to degradation of the material. This is very costly. There is also a possibility that replacement can be expected earlier due to a change in e.g. regulations (e.g. increased safety standards) or increased climate change. As they are not flexible and adaptable, they would not be capable of handling increased loads, meaning replacement is imminent in these cases too. This is of course also costly.Hence, in this thesis the aim is to research the alternatives of more flexible, adaptable and expandible structures by means of use of soil as much as possible. What would in fact happen with if we would opt for a soil expansion outward or inward? How much would and outward expansion influence the water level on the rivers? What does this mean for other dike improvement projects, which would likely come earlier and become higher as well? Is this acceptable and more cost-effective than applying structural elements and avoiding inward or outward expansions? What is the unavoidable land take and how much do we have to reserve in the long term? The thesis is hence about optimizing the way we currently do dike improvement projects along rivers and looking at them from a more systematic approach.What you bring as a graduate internYou are a MSc student in Civil Engineering (preferably Hydraulic Engineering) and are enthusiastic about dike improvement projects, river modelling and management, cost-benefit analyses, and thinking in terms of expandability and adaptability towards an uncertain future with climate change.

Where you will workThis thesis is a collaboration between Delft University of Technology, Royal HaskoningDHV and Rijkswaterstaat. You will closely work with staff from all organizations.Royal HaskoningDHV is a global company with over 6.000 staff in 140 countries and is active in engineering & design and consultancy. We strive to have a positive impact on people and their environment and on the global economy through the projects we do.At Royal HaskoningDHV, you will become part of the Advisory Group Hoogwaterbescherming the Netherlands. This team consists of around 80 colleagues and is based in the Netherlands across three offices (Rotterdam, Amersfoort and Nijmegen). As a team we excel in a wide variety of services and skills in the fields of dike improvement projects and river management. We provide our clients, both private and (semi)governmental, with a range of services throughout the various phases of a project: from inception, through master planning, feasibility, design all the way to construction supervision. We have a strong foothold in the Netherlands but we operate worldwide.What we offer youDuring your internship at Royal HaskoningDHV, you will acquire valuable work experience, you will get a feeling of what it is like to work in a consultancy firm. You will be fully part of the team and as such, you are invited to participate in all team activities both project related and social activities. You will also receive a monthly allowance.Are you our new colleague?We would like to meet you! Click on the apply button and upload your resume and motivation letter. After receiving your application, we will contact you as soon as possible. The application process then consists of 1 interview and a possibly assessment. Are we all enthusiastic after this? Then you will receive an offer from us, and we will be happy to welcome you on board!For more information, you can always contact Esther van den Akker, Advisory Director, at Royal HaskoningDHV, at , Maarten Schoemaker, Hydraulic Engineer and PhD researcher, at , or Ric Huting, Hydraulic Engineer, at . For more information on the application process, please contact Renske Heesakkers, Campus Recruiter, at .Due to the privacy law, please submit your application via the apply button and not via email.Acquisition for this vacancy by agencies is not appreciated and offered candidates will not be taken into consideration.

Expected salary

Location

Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland

Job date

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 03:21:57 GMT

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