The Swallow

The Wind Gains Meaning in Moerdijk

 

Between Moerdijk and Lage Zwaluwe, the wind never stops blowing.

 

Here, in the open landscape of polders and horizon, lies Windpark Streepland — developed by Greenchoice, Windunie, and WindMee, in collaboration with Mothership as creative and technical producer.

 

On Tuesday afternoon, October 6, 2025, the artwork De Zwaluw (The Swallow) was officially opened: a viewing tower that lets visitors see and feel the meaning of wind for both people and their surroundings. The three energy partners aimed not only to generate sustainable power but also to give something tangible back to the community — a gesture of connection in an area where few people live, but where the wind is ever-present.

 

A Landscape Without a Focal Point

 

Around the wind farm, there is hardly any development. Only one resting point interrupts the vastness: ’t Poeleke, where cyclists stop briefly for a sandwich and a view.

 

The question Mothership set out to answer:

How do you create a place in such an empty, utilitarian landscape that people actually want to visit — a place that makes them pause and reflect on what energy truly means?

During the research into the area’s identity, one striking name surfaced: Lage Zwaluwe — once voted the least appreciated train station in the Netherlands.

Yet that name turned out to be full of meaning.

 

In old folklore, the swallow symbolizes luck, prosperity, and good weather ahead — a guardian bird that, like the wind, is constantly in motion.

That symbolism became the heart of the concept.

 

The Power of the Wind, Captured in Form

 

Mothership translated the local stories into a design that brings the wind itself to life. The result: De Zwaluw (The Swallow) — a viewing tower that makes the power of the wind tangible and gives the landscape a new landmark.

 

Those who climb the tower feel the air flow, hear the wind play through the steel structure, and look out over the turbines that together supply power to 15,000 households in Hoge and Lage Zwaluwe (municipality of Drimmelen). From the top, one can see toward Shell Moerdijk — a view of the energy past — and upward, where the wind stands for the future. At the base of the tower lies a small body of water, referring to Hoge and Lage Zwaluwe and subtly to the Van der Poel family, deeply rooted in the region.

 

De Zwaluw brings opposites into balance:

• Wind and water
• Nature and technology
• Energy and experience

 

The project links biodiversity and education to sustainable energy, making the abstract force of the wind tangible for everyone. A place not only to observe but to experience — where you can literally feel how the future is born from movement.

 

The Wind of Change

 

With De Zwaluw, Windpark Streepland gains a soul —
a place where residents, cyclists, and visitors pause to reflect on what sustainable energy truly means.
An ode to the wind, to movement, and to the future of a changing landscape.

 

Project Partners:

 

Mothership realized this project in collaboration with Greenchoice, Windunie, WindMee, MAUC (Sander Boer), WILWY (Matthijs Bijpost), Tankens (foundation), Carl Stahl, and Palte (construction).

 

With thanks to contributions from Rabobank Breda/Amerstreek and the ANWB Fund.