WILLEMSTAD – The former Isla refinery could be gradually transformed over the next five decades into a completely different part of Willemstad, combining housing, education, innovation, renewable energy, food production, public transportation and nature.
That is the vision presented in “Reclaiming the Isla,” a graduation study by Annika van der Nat at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). The research examines how the heavily polluted industrial site could be cleaned and redeveloped in a way that benefits Curaçao’s residents, environment and economy.
Instead of waiting until the entire refinery has been cleaned before beginning redevelopment, Van der Nat proposes a phased approach in which parts of the property are gradually opened for new uses while remediation continues elsewhere.
The study works toward 2075 as the point at which the remediation process could be completed. Three development phases are proposed leading up to that year. The final vision includes new neighborhoods, an innovation district and educational campus, sports facilities, public centers, parks, solar-energy installations, public transportation connections and areas where elements of the industrial heritage are preserved.
The proposal represents a fundamental departure from the refinery’s traditional economic role.
According to the study, current redevelopment plans for the area remain significantly dependent on oil and gas activities. Van der Nat argues that such an approach does not sufficiently address the existing pollution or establish clear sustainability objectives.
The thesis says the refinery’s current manager, 2Bays, has identified five commercial areas for development: oil and gas, sustainable energy and resources, harbor and logistics, light industry, and food production and local needs. However, the researcher argues that continued reliance on refinery activities could leave significant contamination unresolved.
The alternative vision is based on what the researcher describes as “people, planet and prosperity.”
Six principles guide the proposed transformation: maximizing reuse of existing structures, improving connections with surrounding neighborhoods, extending ecological corridors, continuing Willemstad’s urban fabric into the site, diversifying economic activities and preserving the refinery’s industrial heritage.
Four broader functions are proposed under the themes “Learn & Work,” “Live & Play,” “Produce & Research” and “Inspire & Connect.”
Under “Learn & Work,” part of Isla would become an education and innovation district connecting educational institutions with companies and entrepreneurs. The report suggests that vocational education and university-level programs could operate alongside businesses, research facilities, startups and traineeship opportunities.
The “Live & Play” component would introduce affordable housing and public recreational areas, while also creating stronger physical connections between Isla and existing communities around the Schottegat.
The “Produce & Research” component would use part of the enormous industrial property to make Curaçao more self-sufficient. Possibilities identified in the report include solar-energy fields, hydrogen storage, high-tech agriculture and indoor fish farming.
Finally, “Inspire & Connect” would improve transportation between Isla and surrounding neighborhoods and ultimately turn the area into a public transportation hub with connections to other parts of Curaçao and the airport.
The study does not present the 2075 master plan as an approved government development project. It is an academic proposal intended to demonstrate how remediation and redevelopment could proceed simultaneously instead of treating cleanup as a decades-long waiting period.
The report argues that such an approach could allow Curaçao to reclaim one of its largest industrial areas while gradually converting a historic source of pollution into an economically and socially productive part of Willemstad.