The two organisations have been jointly studying the options for a large scale coastal extension and an airport in the North Sea. The plans are based on extensive knowledge and experience gained while designing and executing large scale land reclamation projects and artificial islands, including recent projects such as the Palm Islands and The World in Dubai.

The proposal includes a pioneering design for an international airport some 20km from the coast, featuring innovative floating and rotating runways. The airport could be operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week and would enable the Netherlands to further extend its position as the so called 'gateway to Europe' after 2025, when the current Schiphol Airport will have reached its maximum capacity.

Schiphol will remain the hub from where passengers travel to the airport in the sea. Transport will be provided by maglev trains that shuttle through bored tunnels between the terminals in the sea and the current airport. This proposal reduces the pressure on the Randstad and the land around Schiphol, which can then be used for other purposes. Safety would be improved and the nuisance caused by noise and air pollution affecting people living near Schiphol reduced.

The proposal also includes plans to broaden the coastal zone by 3km in order to protect the Netherlands from anticipated rising sea levels as a result of global warming. This would create 250 sq/km of 'new land'. The proposed work is split up into phases covering the coast from the Hook of Holland to Den Helder. It will take 25 years to complete and would involve winning some 3.8bn m3 of sand from the North Sea.

The companies have calculated that if one third of the new land is zoned for residential building and offices, and the rest as a nature and recreation area, the project can be implemented on a cost neutral basis. This idea for a new Dutch coast also includes a new row of dunes 3km off the coast that are able to withstand the rise in sea level. Experts are predicting increases in sea level of between 60 and 80cm before the end of this century.