The Rooftop Villages, also known as Dakdorpen, are the result of a Dutch project to improve urban life in the country. It is a concept of real estate development in which sustainable housing communities are built on the roofs of existing buildings.
This allows minimizing the environmental impact of construction by taking advantage of vertical spaces instead of expanding into the ground, while creating compact communities near urban centers. This helps reduce the environmental impact of the home by reducing the need for transportation, improving air quality, and contributing to reducing the carbon footprint. In a city like Rotterdam, taking advantage of 10% of the roofs, an increase of 15,000 homes of approximately 80 mt2 is expected.
These small towns, built on top of buildings, are emerging as one of the most innovative ways to bring rooftops to life. Rooftop Villages are quickly becoming a modern affordable housing alternative for those looking for a unique and eco-friendly way to live in the city without sacrificing convenience.
These intimate communities aim to create a unique blend of community spaces to meet the needs of its residents. Typical facilities include community gardens, recreation areas, storage spaces, gyms, swimming pools, outdoor seating areas and much more. This ensures that residents have access to all the amenities and services they need without ever leaving the rooftop.
The Rooftop Villages are also designed to be self-sufficient. This means that the energy used in the community is obtained from renewable sources, such as sun, wind, biomass and hydroelectric power.
The projects also include a mix of low-cost and luxury housing to meet the needs of the full range of residents. Rooftop Villages offer their residents a unique way of living in the city. These intimate communities have become a modern alternative to traditional urban living, giving residents the opportunity to experience a unique and eco-friendly lifestyle.
Regarding its size, it promotes tiny houses as minimum habitable spaces that are fully accessible for people with any type of functional diversity.
Unlike the simple incorporation of vegetation on rooftops (green roofs), fitting it out as a home makes it possible to save money on the project and speed up its construction. In addition to obtaining income from the rent of these spaces designed to be permanently inhabited.
This option could change the business model for roofing renovations and make the addition of “green roofs” financially attractive.
Benefits for cities with Rooftop Villages
The analyzes conclude that buildings whose roofs are rehabilitated as towns will obtain better insulation (from 5 to 8 degrees of cooling in summer) and a considerable reduction in energy consumption, as well as a longer useful life for the roof.
Unlike the simple incorporation of vegetation on rooftops (green roofs), fitting it out as a home makes it possible to save money on the project and speed up its construction. In addition to obtaining income from the rent of these spaces designed to be permanently inhabited.
Not all roofs are worth living in
The developers of the project clarify that “before doing something on the roof you should know the building below and study what load capacity you need for the use you want.” This will influence the possibility of placing trees, the amount of substrate that the roof can support, etc. Sewer or water pipe installations would also be another type of limitation for this model.
Cooperation, key to change
On the Dakdorpen website they ask for support from all kinds of entities that are willing to join this paradigm shift in cities. In the study they support collaboration as a solution to the current problems of architecture, both in the sum of professionals from different disciplines and in the accompaniment by companies from different sectors.
If you want to read more about this incredible project visit the official web site..
