Dakakker

Take the lift to the 6th floor, then go up the final staircase.

On top of the Schieblock, the first large harvestable rooftop in the Netherlands has been realised: the DakAkker. Vegetables, fruit and herbs are grown there and honey bees are kept. It is the largest rooftop farm in Europe where the soil is put directly on the rooftop. The advantage of growing at a height of 20 metres is that the growing conditions are comparable to those of a Mediterranean climate: dry and windy. This rooftop was constructed in 2012 by Binder Groenprojecten, according to the idea and design of Zones Urbaines Sensibles – an urban design agency – and was developed in collaboration with the Rotterdams Milieucentrum (Rotterdam Environmental Centre).

Since 2018 the DakAkker has had an innovative new addition: Slim!Dak (Smart!Roof). This ‘polder roof’ was installed on top of the pavilion on the roof. It functions as a test site for a water storage roof, equipped with sensors for a downpour-proof Rotterdam.