Processes of Protection: Designing for Change and Uncertainty | Matthijs Bouw

With human-induced climate change now a constant, adaptation is no longer a one-time response but an ongoing process that will shape cities for decades—if not centuries—to come. In this presentation at the Holcim Foundation Forum 2025, architect Matthijs Bouw, President & Founder at One Architecture & Urbanism (Netherlands), explores how planners and designers can work with uncertainty and long-term change. Drawing on projects including Manhattan’s coastal protection, long-term sea level rise planning in the Netherlands, and recent waterfront masterplanning initiatives, Bouw examines adaptive planning and design strategies that acknowledge change as inevitable. Rather than seeking fixed solutions, the talk focuses on processes of protection that can evolve over time as conditions shift. The presentation also reflects on what these challenges mean for the role of designers, highlighting the need for flexible frameworks, long-term thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration to prepare cities and landscapes for an unpredictable future. Recorded at the Holcim Foundation Forum 2025.25.