During Rotterdam Rooftop Days, tens of thousands of people take to the rooftops. Via zip lines, sky bridges, and giant slides, visitors gain access to places that normally remain hidden from view. Rooftops become the stage for tours, concerts, and exhibitions. Visitors also discover how rooftops can help make the city more sustainable and healthier. Because the way we use our rooftops says a lot about the kind of future we want for our city.
Rotterdam has 18.5 square kilometres of flat rooftops that are still largely unused. For Léon van Geest, this inspired the very first edition of Rotterdam Rooftop Days in 2015. “I want to show people how much space our city still has waiting to be used. I want to get them excited about rooftop development and demonstrate all the possibilities.”
Ik wil mensen laten zien hoeveel ruimte er in onze stad is, die nu nog onbenut is
Léon aims to inspire developers, property owners, and policymakers to make use of these dormant square metres. Because once you’ve stood on a rooftop overlooking the city, listened to music above the noise of traffic, or experienced an artwork while the wind blows through your hair, you immediately understand what it’s all about.
Rooftop Walk
Every year, Rotterdam Rooftop Days surprises visitors during May and June with a remarkable programme. One example was the Rooftop Walk: a sky bridge connecting the rooftop of department store De Bijenkorf with the roof of the World Trade Center, suspended above the busy Coolsingel boulevard. On another occasion, visitors could cross from one rooftop to another themselves using a zip line harness. And during the festival’s 10th anniversary edition, visitors experienced the Rooftop Slide — a gigantic slide descending from the roof of the Maritime Museum. Public interest was overwhelming.
Lavender field
The rooftops host activities that demonstrate how rooftops can be used for sports, art, culture, and culinary experiences. On the roof of De Bijenkorf, a sculpture exhibition attracted 10,000 visitors. A year later, the same rooftop was transformed into a lavender field, drawing another 8,000 people. Léon explains: “By doing that, we showed De Bijenkorf that their rooftop has value — people are willing to come there. We try to encourage building owners to further develop their rooftops.”
Rotterdam Rooftop Days offers a unique opportunity to experience how rooftops can help make cities greener, more enjoyable, and more sustainable. Visitors can see how rooftops are used to generate energy, collect rainwater, and create cooler urban environments. For Léon, it is clear that rooftops contribute to a healthy, vibrant, and future-proof city. “And in a city with so much unused rooftop space, Rotterdam is an incredible place to start a global rooftop revolution.”
In een tuigje, van het ene naar het andere gebouw met een tokkelbaan
Alliance with European Cities
Rotterdam Rooftop Days is not just a local celebration. “We want this movement to become much bigger,” says Van Geest. “That’s why we actively exchange knowledge, ideas, and inspiration with other cities. Together, we form an alliance with eight European cities.”
The festival also organises the international knowledge event Rethink Rooftops, where rooftop enthusiasts and professionals gather to share the latest insights on innovative rooftop development.
The stairway
Rotterdam’s rooftops are not only accessible during Rooftop Days. During the celebration of 75 years of post-war reconstruction, a gigantic staircase was built at Stationsplein leading to the rooftop of the Groot Handelsgebouw. Visitors could climb the 180 steps and admire the rebuilt city from above. For five weeks straight, twelve hours a day, a continuous stream of visitors climbed The Stairway — a total of 368,611 people. The project received extensive national and international media attention.
Léon strongly believes in the enormous potential of rooftops in shaping the future of cities. “But as always in architecture, these are slow processes and require persistence. People still see stepping onto a rooftop as something special. Walking across a sky bridge still feels extraordinary. As long as that remains the case, we still have a lot of work to do.”
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