Day 11 was short but sweet!
Today started off with a laid-back 9:15am breakfast, for which I had some bread with vegan margarine and cherry jam. We all then walked over to DakAkker, which is a building with an entirely green roof. Our tour guide, Rob, walked us through the history of the creation of the green roof and other sustainable innovations being taken to promote the conservation of resources within the community. We first walked over to a local church and school, between which was a large basketball court used collect rainwater twice a year; the rainwater flows through specially-engineered grooves in the courtyard and stores it for common and popular uses such as baptisms. We then learned about the row of buildings (including a Starbucks!) designed with a curved roof with pipes that directed rainwater into a collection of large letters that spelled ZOHO–an acronym for the name of the area, Zomerhofkwartier–which have containers that store the rainwater and slowly drain them into the soil below to keep the plants watered. The entire district of Zomerhofkwartier is designed (and currently undergoing design adaptations) to highlight its sustainability. Next, we walked over to a neighbourhood that has implemented many sustainable practices: For instance, an abandoned tram line that spans 1.9km on the roof of an abandoned space was converted into a walking and running trail in the center surrounded by a garden on one side and a kids’ play-area on the other. The play area has grooves in the ground designed to collect rainwater and is multi-purpose for both kids’ games and larger performances. Members of the neighbourhood funded an entirely wooden bridge which connects this refurbished space to the neighbourhood. The neighbourhood itself has a slightly slanted walking/biking track which channels rainwater to the center of the neighbourhood pavilion which contains a rainwater storage area. The roof of the neighbourhood is entirely green, with a mostly edible garden and multiple beehouses (a designated beekeeper lives in the neighbourhood). The rooftop also contains chickens (just for fun, apparently, although I suspect that the restaurant uses their eggs), worms (to eat and poop), and composting areas to make natural fertilizer (worms’ poop is quite a valued soil nutrient), along with a small, sit-down restaurant which uses the fruits, veggies, and herbs grown on the rooftop. We were unfortunately unable to climb up the topmost flight of stairs onto the terrace to see the Smart!Roof. The Smart!Roof is digitally controlled through an app; based on the weather forecast, the roof will automatically make room for rainwater to collect and can be used as desired.
After Rob’s tour of his green neighbourhood (yes, he is also a part of the movement to make Rotterdam more sustainable!), we had the chance to wander the area for about 30 minutes until Brian’s tour of Rotterdam. We went into Albert Heijn just for fun, where I got excited about a small loaf of vegan cake and ended up buying it! (This was my first buy today and I did not spend much else later in the day, either, so in my opinion it is completely justified.) Afterward, Brian gave all of us a guided tour of the heart of the city of Rotterdam and explained the history behind certain notable buildings. I learned that the construction company LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) aims to reach zero net carbon emissions with their construction and incorporates multiple elements of sustainability into their designs. We walked past a large building being constructed by LEED during our tour and also learned that LEED constructed a similar building in Amsterdam, uniquely built to accomodate three times the amount of employees that a typical office space can hold. Thus, LEED encourages minimalistic construction so as to preserve space and resources–including energy. I also learned that LEED has the shortest loading and unloading times in the world for construction vehicles and ships, and is rising in popularity in Rotterdam and the Netherlands.
After Brian’s tour, during which we spent 90 minutes walking around the city and exploring the history of certain monumental architecture, we had lunch at the Markthalle, an appartment complex which has a built-in food hall with a plethora of eateries to choose from. I had a mixed spread of a samosa, spiced fried tofu, and fries with vegan mayo, which were all well-needed treats! I also bought a packet of vegan stroopwafels to bring home to my mom! After visiting the Markthalle, a couple of friends and I made a quick Pitt-stop (haha, get it?) at our hostel, and then came back to tour the cube houses. I marvelled at the design of each cube house, built to preserve space while also providing adequate living facilities. The cube houses look like a fun space to live in for a while, maybe as a student or a working adult in the future!
After touring the cube houses, we walked around the pier near the Felix museum (we were sadly too late to enter the museum) and bought some gelato (I got vegan chocolate ice cream with a vegan cookie piece on top!). We then found an aesthetic place inside the Fenix Food Factory to chill and write our blog posts! We picked up our dinner from Sushi&Co. on the way back (I got a vegan poké bowl, which I haven’t yet tried), went back to our hostel, and continued watching Iron Man 1 which we started last night!
Overall, today was quite enjoyable! I am sad that we are already nearing the end of our professional development experience abroad, but I am excited to see what tomorrow holds!
