Dakakker

The Netherlands' first large, harvestable roof has been built on top of the Schieblock: the DakAkker (Roof Farm). Here, vegetables, fruit, and herbs are grown, and honeybees are kept. It is one of the largest rooftop farms in Europe where soil is used directly on the roof.

The advantage of growing at a height of 20 meters is that the growing conditions are comparable to a Mediterranean climate: dry and windy. This roof was constructed in 2012 by Binder Groenprojecten, based on the idea and design by design firm ZUS (Zones Urbaines Sensibles) and developed in collaboration with the Rotterdam Environmental Centre.

Since 2018, DakAkker has had an innovative new addition: Slim!Dak. This polder roof is installed on top of the pavilion on the roof. It functions as a smart water-storing roof with smart flow control that is triggered by the weather forecast. If extreme rainfall is forecast, the smart flow control responds by making additional water storage capacity available.