In 2012, Rotterdam transformed 9 discarded wind turbine blades into public seating; 8 years later, the installation gained a new life as an LGBTQI+ landmark

Nine wind turbine blades that were once destined for disposal have found a second life as public seating in Rotterdam. The installation, called Blade Made, stands at Willemsplein, near the Erasmus Bridge. Designed by Superuse and installed in 2012, the project uses nine discarded blades, recycled concrete and signal red paint. In 2020, eight years after its installation, it also became an LGBTQI+ landmark.

The project began with a practical need. The City Centre Office of the Municipality of Rotterdam wanted seating at Willemsplein, a busy square used for public events. Visitors needed a place to sit, particularly people waiting for trips with Spido, the city's boat tour operator. The furniture also had to be movable so the square could be cleared when events required more space.

Superuse approached the brief by looking at a material that was already creating a waste problem: old wind turbine blades.

Wind turbine blade waste: Why Superuse chose nine discarded blades

In the Netherlands, around 200 wind turbine blades are sent to landfill every year. Their size and construction make them difficult to dispose of, while their long service life means that large numbers eventually need to be replaced.

Superuse found nine blades in Friesland that were about to be discarded. Each was approximately six metres long, and all nine had originally been manufactured by STORK.

The project reused nine blades against an annual national landfill figure of about 200. That is equivalent to roughly 4.5% of that yearly total. Blade Made does not address the entire disposal challenge, but it demonstrates how retired turbine components can be used in public spaces rather than sent directly to landfill.

The blades also brought a design challenge. They are long and relatively light because they are made to rotate in the wind. That makes them useful on a turbine but less suitable as standalone structures in an open public square. The seating needed a stable base that could keep each blade firmly in place.

Recycled concrete blocks give the wind turbine blades stability

Superuse designed heavy concrete blocks to hold the blades in position. Their weight provides the stability that the lightweight blades cannot offer on their own.

The material used for the bases follows the same reuse principle. Concrete normally combines cement with aggregate, a gravel-like material that gives it bulk. For Blade Made, the aggregate consists entirely of recycled concrete rubble from Rotterdam.

This means the bases use 100% recycled concrete aggregate sourced from the city. Instead of relying on freshly quarried material, the project gives construction waste another use.

The blocks also have angled tops. These create a slight bend in each upright blade, giving the installation a different profile from the square's streetlights, trees and other vertical structures. The tilted arrangement helps the seating stand out without adding another row of straight poles to the landscape.

Red wind turbine blade seats offer different sitting positions

All nine blades are painted signal red. The colour was chosen to stand out against the grey and stone-heavy surroundings of Willemsplein. It gives the installation a clear identity in an otherwise muted public space.

The seating arrangement was also carefully planned. Superuse considered ergonomics, or how the furniture supports the human body, when deciding where to position the blades. Their placement allows people to sit in different ways, rather than offering one fixed seating posture.

Seat depth varies from the proportions of a regular chair to those of a lounge. Visitors can sit upright while waiting for a boat tour or choose a deeper section where they can lean back. The curved shape of each blade makes these different positions possible along the same piece of furniture.

The design therefore serves more than one purpose. It reuses industrial waste, provides practical seating and allows the city to move the installation when the square is needed for events.

Blade Made was installed in 2012 as a public seating project. Its role expanded in 2020, when the installation took on a second identity as an LGBTQI+ landmark.