TBI & Into The Great Wide Open: testing at the Building Site of the Future

The festival Into The Great Wide Open on Vlieland this time is not only about music and art. it is also getting a Construction Site of the Future. The festival site will thus be used as a testing ground for the construction sector: a place where new materials, techniques and collaborations are created. It will be a workshop for the future of emission-free and circular building.

The Construction Site of the Future offers professionals from the construction and events sector the space to develop innovations and test them directly in practice. Think about using electric construction equipment, working with bio-based materials and rethinking logistics around temporary sites. Whereas construction sites are often bound by strict regulations and eliminate risks, the temporary nature of a festival actually offers room for experimentation. "A festival like Into The Great Wide Open makes it possible to test and share knowledge in a way you rarely see on a regular construction site," says Daan Stigter, sustainability manager at Lab Vlieland. "It is inspiring to work on solutions with the creative clout of festivals that we can then concretely give back to the construction industry."

From pioneer to system change

Into The Great Wide Open has shown in recent years that sustainability is possible in practice. In 2024 the festival was running 95% on local solar power, and in 2025 it is aiming for 100% emission-free power supply. Electric construction equipment has also been widely tested during construction and dismantling. Numerous teething problems came to light, but we managed to do the entire dismantling without diesel forklifts. "In the festival sector, we run into the same challenges as in construction: nitrogen, grid congestion, emissions. So what we learn here has immediate broader value," Stigter said.

Partners such as BAM Infra Nederland and TBI have now joined and are using the festival as a realistic test environment to develop solutions that can also be applied on a large scale. "We are once again taking the next step by partnering with Into The Great Wide Open. The creativity and innovative power of the festival world - as expressed at Into The Great Wide Open - provides a valuable testing ground to test solutions for the major sustainability challenges in construction. At the same time, we can scale up these new developments for waste reduction, emissions reduction and cleaner construction on our projects. In this way we connect two worlds, each with their own strengths, and together we accelerate the sustainable transition from gray to green." Says Sander den Blanken, director at BAM Infra Nederland.

Bianca Seekles, Member of the TBI Board of Management, sees great potential in the collaboration: "As TBI, we believe in the power of collaboration and innovation to make the construction sector more sustainable and future-proof. Initiatives such as Building Site of the Future show that experimentation and creativity go hand in hand with structural change."

Broad scale-up and shared impact

With support from DOEN Foundation, Construction Site of the Future will have the opportunity to continue to grow and make an impact in both the construction and event sectors. "DOEN Foundation is delighted to be able to support Into The Great Wide Open's Construction Site of the Future thanks to the participants of the Postcode Lottery. By testing and making sustainable innovations visible, and encouraging cooperation between pioneers and large construction companies, the initiative contributes to the transition from a traditional, polluting construction sector to a bio-based and circular construction economy," said Coen Persijn, program manager at DOEN Foundation.

The experiences gained in this practical environment are actively shared with other festivals, policy makers and construction projects. For Into The Great Wide Open, this is a logical next step in their mission to utilize temporary environments for sustainable system change.