Friso Klapwijk
Director for Nature-Based Solutions at ONE Architecture and Urbanism, Netherlands
Friso Klapwijk
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Building with water: Restoring the water cycle in the built environment
At the Sounding Board Rotterdam, Friso Klapwijk, Global Director Urban Climate Resilience at Wavin explains how designing our cities for water capture can be beneficial, and how the roofing system he has developed over the past ten years helps to harvest rainwater and consider water as a valuable resource from the first drop of rain to the final runoff – with hydrological, thermal, and environmental benefits.
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3 / 3
Sounding Board Rotterdam
At the Sounding Board Rotterdam, Friso Klapwijk, Global Director Urban Climate Resilience at Wavin explained how a roofing system he has developed helps to harvest rainwater and consider water as a valuable resource from the first drop of rain to the final runoff – with hydrological, thermal, and environmental benefits.d
Last updated: September 24, 2025 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Friso combines the technical skills of a civil engineer, the experience as entrepreneur and the love for water, into a unique mix of passion. He was previously Global Director of Urban Climate Resilience at Wavin based in Amsterdam, and presented “Building with Water: Restoring the water cycle in the built environment” at the Holcim Foundation Sounding Board Rotterdam.
Over the past ten years, he has developed a roofing system that helps to harvest rainwater and consider water as a valuable resource from the first drop of rain to the final runoff – with hydrological, thermal, and environmental benefits.
Building with water: Restoring the water cycle in the built environment
At the Sounding Board Rotterdam, Friso Klapwijk, Global Director Urban Climate Resilience at Wavin explains how designing our cities for water capture can be beneficial, and how the roofing system he has developed over the past ten years helps to harvest rainwater and consider water as a valuable resource from the first drop of rain to the final runoff – with hydrological, thermal, and environmental benefits.
After a career in civil engineering, he cofounded De Dakdokters in 2010, which designed and maintained over 1,500 roof gardens. Intrigued by the potential of capturing rainwater for green roofs to mitigate urban flooding, he launched MetroPolder to market his PolderRoof concept. After Wavin acquired MetroPolder in 2022, he joined their team as Global Key Client Director for Urban Climate Resilience.
Friso is a frequent expert speaker on nature-based, circular water design at events hosted by organizations like the World Economic Forum. He is based in Amsterdam and works in both Europe and the USA.
Related information
Location
News
Sounding Board Rotterdam
Building with water
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Videos
At the Sounding Board Rotterdam, Friso Klapwijk, Global Director Urban Climate Resilience at Wavin explains how designing our cities for water capture can be beneficial, and how the roofing system he has developed over the past ten years helps to harvest rainwater and consider water as a valuable resource from the first drop of rain to the final runoff – with hydrological, thermal, and environmental benefits.
Building with water: Restoring the water cycle in the built environment
At the Sounding Board Rotterdam, Friso Klapwijk, Global Director Urban Climate Resilience at Wavin explains how designing our cities for water capture can be beneficial, and how the roofing system he has developed over the past ten years helps to harvest rainwater and consider water as a valuable resource from the first drop of rain to the final runoff – with hydrological, thermal, and environmental benefits.