Rotterdam University Students Green Their Own Campus

During their introduction week first-year students of the Institute for the Built Environment, part of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, took up the challenge to make the university's environment greener, more climate-proof and more attractive for neighbors, students and employees.

For example, they removed more than 100 square meters of tiles from the Academieplein, where the educational institute building is located, and exchanged them for hundreds of plants and flowers. A total of 1,132 paving stones were removed to make way for greenery.

Climate adjustments in a learning environment

“Heat, drought and flooding are occurring more and more often and in increasingly extreme forms and this is also noticeable in Rotterdam. By helping to make the city greener, we can ensure local temperature control and better rainwater collection. Planting hundreds of native plants and flowers also stimulates biodiversity,” says Robert van Ingen, director of the Institute for the Built Environment. “By actively involving our students from the start of their studies in climate adjustments in their learning environment and making them aware of solutions, we want to initiate a movement that extends beyond the University.”

Green metamorphosis

On Wednesday, August 30, Watermanagement students, under the guidance of teachers, came up with ideas for greening the Academieplein. These plans were translated into designs, after which the first-year students got to work on friday September 1st and the square received a ‘green metamorphosis’. In this way they learned about climate adaptation and at the same time got to know each other better.

This pilot was made financially possible by the Municipality of Rotterdam. The students design scalable plans so that a larger area around the buildings can be greened following the pilot. The intention is also to eventually install a water storage facility to collect even more water.

For more information read the following article:

Vergroenen Academieplein – Hogeschool Rotterdam

© Photos: Danny Bok