Amsterdam

Amsterdam is experiencing the effects of climate change: flash floods due to heavy rainfall, higher temperatures and increased droughts. The RESILIO project aims to address critical urban climate challenges related to flooding, heat, water supply, energy consumption and urban livability by repurposing the rooftops of climate-vulnerable neighbourhoods of Amsterdam. The 10,000m2 area of smart blue green roofs is expected to help the city adapt to climate change by reducing impacts of heavy rain, urban heat island effect and drought while improving building insulation, biodiversity and quality of life.

Amsterdam is going to build smart blue green roofs on 10,000m2 of which at least 8,000 m2 will be on social housing rooftops. Blue stands for water, green for plants. On these roofs extra water can be stored under the green plant layer. This water buffer layer reduces the chance of damage to houses and their surroundings in case of heavy rain and increases the cooling effect and survival rate of the plant layer in case of drought.  The roofs have a “smart flow control” that anticipates heavy rain or drought, releasing or retaining water accordingly. The roofs are connected in a network, enabling remote regulation of rooftop water levels based on weather forecasts and water management settings. RESILIO builds upon 5 years of R&D of smart blue green roof technology done by several of the project partners. After proven success of single blue green roofs across Amsterdam, RESILIO will build a smart grid of roofs enabling real time data exchange for dynamic water levels. Thus, an entirely new scale and type of adaptive urban water management is created for the first time in Europe and across the world.

• City of Amsterdam
• Hogeschool van Amsterdam - higher education and research institute
• Vrije Universiteit - higher education and research institute
• Waternet - public water management company
• MetroPolder Company - SME
• Consolidated - SME
• Stadgenoot - social housing company
• De Key - social housing company
• De Alliantie - social housing company
• Rooftop Revolution - foundation

Four pilot locations with social housing complexes will become smart neighbourhood networks and act as functional rainwater buffers covering 10.000m2. This will increase Amsterdam’s rainwater resilience, by adding 5600m3 of water managed over a year without any damage. Regular roofs turned into blue green roofs should reduce urban heat effect, energy consumption at building level, sewer overflows, urban flooding.  They will provide more urban green spaces thereby increasing biodiversity and citizen wellbeing. To verify the impacts of the project, there will be an established monitoring plan, with studies in the realms of social, fiscal, hydrological, climate adaptive and energy saving aspects. Empowering 1500 residents of all socioeconomic levels to engage through bottom-up and co-creation approach will advance resilient climate strategies and governance.