Lydia Fraaije new Voice of Water for the Embassy of Water

A representative of Water is always present at the Embassy of Water to keep the interests of water at the forefront. After water researcher Cees Kamp, natural philosopher Matthijs Schouten and philosopher and water expert Li An Phoa, this time it is architect Lydia Fraaije’s turn to be the Voice of Water.

Love for water

The love of water is in her DNA, says Fraaije. Her father had a strong bond with water. He sailed a lot at sea, lived between the Meuse and Waal rivers and designed a water treatment plant for Waterschap De Dommel. She spent a lot of time at that treatment plant and learned how it works from a young age. Recently, she herself designed a biological water treatment plant for the same water board, but this time in an urban area: at Strijp S. “There, I was able to bring together my love for water, the technology I got from my father, architecture and nature all together.”

Fraaije likes the fact that the Embassy of Water pays attention to the interests of water. She is therefore happy to take on the role of Voice of Water this year. What struck her most about her predecessor Li An Phoa’s rendition is that she made invisible things visible. “She shows the impact humans have on water and the water cycle and she does that by telling stories.”

“We humans really do behave as a young species”

Nature is the starting point, basis and source of inspiration in Fraaije’s life and work. As a biomimicry architect, she tries to contribute to nature “just like other organisms on this earth”. “Biomimicry is learning from nature’s 3.8 billion years of research and development knowledge,” she says. “When nature develops something, it is always with efficient use of energy and materials and without waste. These are big themes we are all working on now. We humans are only a relatively young species if you look at the development of the earth. We take a lot from nature and we never really think about giving anything back. We mostly destroy a lot. All the other organisms around us are much better balanced than we are. They do contribute. We humans actually still have to learn that a bit. We really behave as a young species.”

Biomimicry is also about biophilia: the love of nature. “It’s healthy to enter that relationship for your body and mind. And the more solid the connection with nature is, the better we understand that we have to take care of it. I learn a lot about that from indigenous cultures.”