Meeting pond Halverwege
Meeting Pond Halverwege is a public meeting place in the making in Vaals, at the boundary between the village and nature. It is conceived as a space for learning, making, and research, with water as its point of departure.
Building on the existing activities of the Institute of Cartopology - Berghut Halverwege, visitors, local residents, pupils and students are invited to actively take part in educational and collaborative activities focused on the water system of South Limburg.
At the heart of the project lies a retention pond. This pond makes the regional water system tangible and legible, while also supporting biodiversity and helping to collect and buffer water at the edge of Vaals.
The project brings together a wide range of partners from education, care, culture, and nature.
preparations
Early meeting
with groundworker Bernfried König and architect Emmanuel Laugs
October 29, 2025
Arrival of the truck
to prepare for some test excavations
October 30, 2025
What gets measured
gets known
October 31, 2025
Excavating test trenches
to determine the soil quality
November 1, 2025
Surveying and planning
to stake out contours and heights
November 24, 2025
Preparing the garden
and transplanting trees (1)
November 25, 2025
Preparing the garden
and transplanting trees (2)
November 25, 2025
Creating the retention pond
First digging
in order to place the concrete elements that separate the pond from the building
November 26, 2025
Putting the concrete elements in place
Of course, we used second hand ones
November 26, 2025
Dernoton arrival
one truckload of organic clay
November 27, 2025
Cutting the concrete to the correct height
Because second hand elements ask for a bit TLC
November 27, 2025
Refilling the soil
around the concrete elements
November 28, 2025
Waterproofing the joints
between the concrete elements
November 28, 2025
Digging the water inlet
so that water from the street can reach the pond
November 29, 2025
Marking the outline of the pond
with special construction paint
November 29, 2025
Shaping the pond landscape
based on the marked lines
November 30, 2025
Applying a thick layer of Dernoton (clay)
as a waterproof layer
December 1, 2025
Compacting the clay
so that the layer becomes watertight
December 2, 2025
Applying a layer of sand
over the clay to protect it
December 3, 2025
The result of a week’s work
the pond is almost finished
December 3, 2025
Marking our very own secondary summit of Mount Vaals
(formed from the leftover soil from the pond)
December 3, 2025
One of the seed bomb workshops
organised to reuse and spread surplus soil from the pond together with native seeds.
December 13, 2025
Lowering of the pavement
so that water from the road can flow directly into the pond
December 17, 2025
First planting in and around the pond
with water-loving, native plants such as guelder rose, yellow iris, water mint, and true valerian
January 5, 2026
Spreading bark
to create the pathway structure around the pond.
January 6, 2026
Meeting Pond Halverwege is an initiative of the Institute of Cartopology - Berghut Halverwege, Dear Hunter VOF and generously supported by the following partners:
