A reinterpretation of a infrastructural necessity into a inclusive public amenity. This temporary intervention transforms the rooftop of a carpark in the city center of Heerlen, into a green recreational area that welcomes and encourages the re-appropriation of the space by local citizens. The design aims to be an example to create new spaces of connection and regeneration in our cities, redefining our relationship with nature and transforming the built environment into a responsive ecosystem.
Local
Netherlands
Heerlen, Parkstad
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-06-22
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Selvatico Type of organisation: Collective First name of representative: Iñigo Last name of representative: Ruiz Gender: Male Nationality: Spain Function: Architect Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Omval 421 Town: Amsterdam Postal code: 1096HR Country: Netherlands Direct Tel:+34634569067 E-mail:info@selvatico.eu Website:https://www.selvatico.eu/
The reinterpretation of an infrastructural necessity into a public amenity reveals the hidden potential of the urban ecosystem. This temporary intervention transforms the rooftop of a carpark in the city center of Heerlen (NL), into a green recreational area that welcomes and encourages the re-appropriation of an unused space by local citizens. The design aims to be an example, a pilot project to create new spaces of connection and regeneration in our cities. The effects that climate change has in our urban environment (heat stress, flood risks, air pollution, loss in biodiversity) is showing us the need to transform the built environment into a responsive ecosystem and thus, to redefine our relationship with nature. We need to create dynamic and resilient landscapes that integrate organized planting patterns with ample space for human and non-human interactions. This transformation will allow us to strengthen and safeguard biodiversity and even more to restore natural habitats. Therefore, our own roofs offer a great opportunity to take action and start the process of regeneration.
The design draws inspiration from the crop patterns that characterize the Dutch countryside. 1200 m2 of concrete roof is divided into crops. Each crop hosts a different type of vegetation, together forming one colorful whole and an array of patterns. 57 different plant species are grown in movable planters made of wooden crates, therein defining a system of spaces 'rooms', for spontaneous meetings and interactions.
Five different types of rooms can be found here: the Wilderness, Tea, Chromatic, Edible, and Aphrodisiac rooms. Each of them is defined by the different characteristics of the plants that belong to each room. Therefore, plants’ density, smell, height, color, texture, and use play an important role in the composition of these rooms. Within the process, local plants and herbs were selected in order to enhance, attract and strengthen local biodiversity.
Climate adaptation of our built environment
Creation of resilient landscapes
Enhance local biodiversity
Reappropriation of unused spaces
Future proof cities
In the last couple of decades, most of the world's cities have been confronted with increasingly large amounts of rainwater, severe heat stress, air pollution, and a decrease in biodiversity. Water absorption, porosity and spaces that can lower the temperature are becoming more and more important. Heerlen, as one of the warmest cities in the Netherlands, faces one of these specific problems: the so-called heat islands. The project is located in the city center, which as many city centers in the world, is full of hard surfaces such as stone, brick or asphalt, and lacks of soft pavements. Besides, while the many flat, grey roofs found in Heerlen’s city center are partially responsible for causing and collaborating for this heat stress, but they also offer a great opportunity for alleviating it via experimental and innovative solutions.
In this context, we transformed a grey concrete surface for cars into a public amenity that can host human and non-human interactions. Our key objectives were to inspire people to contribute to this necessary climate adaptation process of our cities with simple solutions that anyone can implement, as well as to create a new inclusive green public space for the citizens. We developed an urban garden that contributes to the absorption capacity and porosity of the surfaces of the built environment while lowering heat stress and strengthening the local biodiversity.
Even though this roof garden is temporary, it is the first step in sparking a wider discussion about the necessary climate adaptation of our cities. It offers us a new perspective, providing ideas on how everyone can contribute to a climate-proof living and working environment.
Apart from the important sustainable solutions, one of our goals was to create a new form of public space that can host different kinds of uses, all of them defined by a green natural landscape.
The strategic position of the wooden planters defines different green rooms and atmospheres where many kinds of uses or events can happen. The smallest rooms are suitable for one-on-one meetings or for a single person to relax and read, whereas the bigger ones are perfect for family gatherings or small parties. The spaces in between the rooms are adapted to host bigger events such as small concerts, yoga lessons, theater plays, or poetry readings. Schunck, the cultural organization that promoted this initiative, organized some periodical events such as yoga lessons, jazz concerts, and rooftop tours explaining the different solutions and benefits that such a rooftop can bring to the city and its citizens.
Regarding aesthetics, we used different heights of planters to create a dynamic rooftop landscape where different kind of greenery was the key element in the design. Therefore, tall planters bring the plants closer to adults or tall people whereas shorter or smaller planters in height bring the plants closer to children, kids, or people on wheelchairs. In this way, we could also isolate or relate one room to the other.
Moreover, education has also played an important role. Apart from getting the plants and herbs closer to the visitor and organizing rooftop tours, we listed and showed all the plants selected for each of the rooms, naming them (even drawing some of them) so that people could learn what plants were they smelling or looking at.
The users have been welcome to reconsider their relationship with nature and to move from a human center perspective in order to re-establish a balance between people and the planet. Particular attention has been made to the selection of plants grown without synthetic insecticides to support pollinators and prevents their decline.
Whether it is a small balcony, green space, or a private garden, access to outdoor space has become a privilege for many, especially upon the dawn of the Covid-19 pandemic and the multiple lockdown periods that followed. In terms of living conditions, the lack of access to these spaces presents evident inequalities: some people could enjoy public spaces or had their own gardens/exterior space, against those less fortunate in flats faced claustrophobic and demoralizing conditions, contained within the shell of their homes. To conquer this disparity, access to these spaces should be prioritized as both a method of greening our cities and improving overall mental and physical well-being. In that regard, this temporary project tries to ensure social equity by creating quality exterior, inclusive and green spaces accessible to everyone.
Also as mentioned before, the design of the gardens was thought from the inclusive perspective to please and show the selected plants and herbs to different people, they are adapted to different social target groups. Tall planters bring the plants closer to adults or tall people whereas shorter or smaller planters in height bring the plants closer to children, kids, or people on wheelchairs. Spaces are also different from each other to be able to adapt to the different needs of the users: you can host small gatherings, as well as bigger reunions or events.
Besides, most of the plants used in the project were grown in the greenhouse of Mondriaan, a regional institution for mental healthcare. These plants were co-cultivated by patients of Mondriaan, who receive therapy at Mondriaan Tuin & Kas. They had a wide range of people who will benefit from this as it creates peace and grows self-knowledge in them.
Regarding accessibility, both emergency staircases and elevators give universal access to the rooftop spaces. There was also a signaletic system implemented throughout the city to arrive to all of the citizens.
This new public space gives the option to experience the city in a whole different way. It provides a new perspective, a new collective way of thinking and doing while exploring both the challenges and great potential that our cities’ many grey roofs offer. In the end, the project transforms a privately accessed space (parking clients) into a public accessible garden rooftop, providing the citizens a new space to thrive, enjoy, relax and reconnect with nature.
The realization of the project would have been impossible without the commitment and help from the local neighbors. From the very beginning, they have been involved in the construction process helping to build and give shape to the designed green rooms. There were periodical planting sessions where the response of the local citizens was excellent. During the process, there were also a couple of events organized with the food collected from the harvest of the rooftop. Again, many neighbors and citizens came creating a new sense of collectiveness, a new sense of community around the transformed rooftop garden.
As explained before, Mondriaan joined the team and the collaboration was very fruitful as it helped both ways: For us to greenefy the gardens and for them to use nature and its growing process as a therapy.
Schunck and Cultura Nova, local cultural organizations have also been involved in creating a program with leisure activities and educational sessions which led to nice talks, discussions, and enjoyable moments among the neighbors.
Apart from us, the designers, there were many different stakeholders engaged in the project from the very first steps of the process:
- Schunck. The local cultural organization that in 2018 initiated an ongoing program and research project called the Heerlen Rooftop Project. This temporary rooftop intervention is part of the program and hopefully more rooftops will join in the coming years. Schunck has also been the director and link to the local government as well as other local institutions and stakeholders.
- De Moestuinman. Local entrepreneur and landscape expert that guided and advised us in the design phase of the project. It was important to have a local expert in order to know better the local habitat and its flora and fauna species.
- Mondriaan. Regional institution for mental healthcare. Plants used in the rooftop garden were grown in the greenhouse of this organization embracing the therapeutic character of nature.
- Twee Gezusters. Local entrepreneur that run the small bar on the rooftop.
- Cultura Nova. Local cultural organization involved in the placemaking and civic engagement of the program. Known by the residents of the city, they opened the rooftop project to more eyes and ears.
- VOC-vastgoed, owners of the building. They were interested in collaborating with us to create a newly transformed space for the citizens. They gave us some restrictions but the overall feeling was positive.
- QPark, International parking infrastructure operator. They are the company operating the parking building and they were interested in collaborating on the project in order to create something new for Heerlen.
- Gemeente Heerlen, Municipality of Heerlen. They were a bit reluctant at the beginning but really enthusiastic in the end. It will help people to introduce more climate-adaptive solutions on the roofs of Heerlen.
- IBA Parkstad Limburg. A regional organization that helps examine leading projects and identify the opportunities they offer the region.
The development of the Rooftop Project has been possible thanks to the collaboration of different actors belonging to several fields: culture associations, citizens' groups, architecture and art collectives, landscape architects, engineers, agronomists, and local institutions. During the process, the role of Schunck has been crucial in managing and coordinating the works and the organization of the events both during the building process and once inaugurated the new public space. The first part of the project saw the close collaboration of the technicians such as architects and engineers to study the feasibility of the project. Together with the support of the local institutions, we analyzed the overall structure and its possibilities and we developed different scenarios based on the real budget available, thus assuring economical, social, and environmental sustainability.
The second part of the design brought together all the different actors and represented a fundamental part of the project itself: it has been through the sharing of knowledge and collaborative work, that this new space was successfully realized. The physical construction of the planters, the design of the spaces, and the selections of the species have been made through a series of workshop experiences that represented an occasion of continuous learning for all the participants.
The project had a very positive reaction from many different agents of society, especially from the citizens themselves. They constantly asked us to consider an extension of the pilot project from a temporary solution to a more permanent one in order to enjoy the space for a longer period of time and to have a bigger impact.
At the moment, together with Schunck and local authorities, we are working on designing a more permanent implementation. This opened up new possibilities for collaboration in order to deepen the studies related to the restoration of biodiversity and to involve more actors in the process, maintenance, and use of this public space.
The plants' growth and the process of blooming created a particularly favorable environment for insects and pollinators: the observation of this phenomenon increased the awareness on the loss of biodiversity issue and showed an example of how a small intervention can make an immediate change in the urban context.
Therefore, the project intends to be an example of what sustainable solutions can be implemented on each of our rooftops, creating a place of refuge for natural diversity. That is why we opted for modular movable planters that can be implemented and repeated in different kinds of roofs, with different kinds of needs, for different kinds of pockets.
The whole process has been a collaborative initiative that would have not been possible without the involvement of the community. Everything started from an international ideas competition, that sparked the wish to intervene in a forgotten layer of the city: it helped to inspire and represent the potential that lies on unused rooftops. The initiative opened up a discussion that saw the involvement of different associations and showed the will to make a change in urban habits.
The replicability, scalability, and adaptability of the main concept at all different scales and different spheres is also an important aspect to point out. Due to its modularity, the project can be adapted to different users, different spaces, and different budgets. Consequently, a neighbor can create a small garden on top of their own private house while an office building owner can design a green roof terrace using the same design tools.
The project also showed that a nice rooftop garden can not only be enjoyed in bigger cities such as Amsterdam or Rotterdam, but that Heerlen's roofs also have an enormous potential to create new inclusive social spaces focusing on climate-oriented solutions. Therefore, that change of perspective, putting the focus on smaller cities, activated and gave pride to quite some Heerleneers.
- We started with research on the topic: we investigated about the demographic trends and environmental changes that our cities and societies are going through and therefore, we studied the urban ecosystem and its possibilities of implementation and interaction with other spheres. The main focus regarding the strategy is to bring back nature to the city.
- We did an analysis of the context: we produced a feasibility study to define the potentialities of the rooftop structure, and the economic, environmental, and social impact.
- We structured a framework for the design process: we delineated a flexible framework for the development of the project that could allow the participation of all the different actors in the design process while keeping control of the final aspect and results through the definition of guidelines and a toolkit.
- We promote the autonomous appropriation of the space and the discussion upon the final results: the initiative has been presented as a pilot project that could spark a wider discussion about the necessary climate adaptation of our cities. The simplicity of the design solutions and the building process makes this intervention replicable at different scales and with diverse configurations. In the last stage of the process
- Regarding the methodology it can be useful to replicate the different steps that brought to the realization of the project, starting from the analysis of the context that can help define the scale of the intervention and the local declination of the design solutions ( in particular regarding the plant species base on the climate situation).
- In terms of technology, the simplicity of the planters' design and the possible reuse of common diffuse materials such as pallets and wooden planks, make it easy to replicate the base element while the aggregation of the modules can be adapted to the different scales and situations.
- the process can be considered a part of the project itself, and it is an important phase to structure a similar experience on a public level. It could be useful and positive to try to consider and involve as many actors as possible in order to build a strong and participatory project. However, if the scale of the intervention it's smaller and it does not bring together a consistent group of people, it is interesting to notice that the creation of this kind of green rooftop can be pursued also by singular private actors or smaller groups of people.
The temporary project shows a clear and compelling image that illustrates the untapped potential of roofs in urban settings. To mitigate the effects of climate change and to make our urban areas healthier, we need to add green spaces. Sometimes, however, it is not so easy to design them on the ground floor of our cities because there are already many things happening there. This solution, then, explores how this often-forgotten layer of the city can respond to this need.
We have the opportunity to create new spaces of connection and regeneration in your cities. By transforming the built environment into a responsive ecosystem, we can redefine our relationship with nature. We can create dynamic and resilient landscapes that integrate organized planting patterns with ample space for human and non-human interactions. This transformation will allow us to strengthen and safeguard local biodiversity and even more to restore natural habitats. Thus, our own roofs offer a great opportunity to take action and start the process of regeneration. For this purpose, in our case, we took a good look to the existing situation and chose local herbs and plants so that they would represent a refuge for nature as well as the perfect space for pollinators to thrive.
In the last couple of decades, most of the world’s cities have been confronted with increasingly large amounts of rainwater, severe heat stress, and a decrease in biodiversity. It is in this context that the City of Heerlen is presented as a case study where to research and explore the potential benefits of nature-based solutions at different scales and levels. Therefore, this rooftop solution is just one cog in the chain of climate adaptive solutions that our cities will need to develop in order to design a future-proof city.
