Meet Johan de Putter – a man on a mission to be the leading water designer in the Netherlands within 10 years.
Sunshine and happiness in the heart of Wageningen
It’s wet and blustery when I cycle to Johan’s studio in Wageningen. Wageningen is a vibrant university city in beautiful rural surroundings, where students are attracted by the university’s world class reputation for life and environmental sciences. Johan studied hydrology and landscape architecture, and now runs his own company, Atelier Johan de Putter, from his studio in the heart of the city centre.
Despite the cold rain outside, there’s warmth and happiness here! Johan greets me at the door with a smile, and welcomes me into his studio where art lights up science. He offers me a warm drink, and, perhaps rare for a hydrologist, also a towel to dry myself from the rain outside.
Johan in his environment
Johan is a “Water and Landscape Designer”. In essence, he’s a hydrologist and landscape designer in one, combining his 30-year hobby of painting with his technical knowledge. He conceives, designs and visualises green (nature) and blue (water) tasks in rural areas, focusing on stream restoration and design. His ambition is to be the leading water designer in the Netherlands within 10 years.
I’d never guess from the view through Johan’s studio window that I was looking over the roof-tops of a rain-soaked city; thanks to the environmentally-minded inhabitants of Wageningen, there is an abundance of green roof gardens. An impressive view, and perhaps a green inspiration for our indoor water and landscape designer.
Colourful paintings and illustrations from past and present projects in the studio bear witness to his creativity. His desk is home to many of his artistic tools of the trade, and technical drawings and digital equipment remind us that this studio is also home to technical know-how.
Johan is keen to tell me about his work designing stream valleys, and I hope, to show me some examples of his illustrations. I’m curious. Doesn’t water just flow downhill?
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Paul Sterlini
