1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Antwerpen
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Groendak op De Roma
Short description of the intervention
On 'De Roma', an old cinema that has been renovated into a theatre, a green roof of 650m2 was created which improves biodiversity and contributes to Antwerp's climate change adaptation (Ref. 1, 4). A bee house was also later installed on the roof (Ref. 2). The green roof is created by volunteers of De Roma and Kopspel, which is an organization that provides learning-working places for student of 'Deeltijds beroepssecundair onderwijs (Part-time Secondary Professional Education) and temporary employment for people that want to turn back to the labour market (Ref. 1).
Address

Turnhoutsebaan
286
2140 Antwerpen
Belgium

Location
Point location, which indicates where the NBS takes place
Total area
650.00m²
NBS area
650.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Building
Website of the intervention
http://www.deroma.be
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
unknown
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2016
End date of the intervention
2017
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Goals of the intervention
The main goals of the green roof were improving biodiversity and contributing to climate change adaptation (Ref. 1,4) by means of reducing temperature and improving air quality (Ref. 4).
Quantitative targets
Transforming 650m2 of roof of the theatre into a green roof (Ref. 4).
Placement of 11 tonnes of gravel, 20.000 liters of substrate and 30kg of sedum (Ref. 1).
A bee house was placed with 2000 bees made out of reused construction materials (Ref. 1,2).
Monitoring indicators defined
Area of roof transformed into green space (m^2) (Ref. 4).
Tonnes of gravel (Ref. 1)
Liters of substrate (Ref. 1)
kg of sedum (Ref. 1)
Number of bees (Ref. 1, 2)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Habitat and biodiversity conservation
Green space creation and/or management
Environmental quality
Air quality improvement
Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Reduce the impacts of climate risks events on urban places and communities
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature
Implement green walls or roofs to lower indoor temperature and provide insulation
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Species-focused
Ecosystem-focused
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Protect and enhance urban habitats
Create new habitats
Protect species
Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
Implementation activities
Creating a green roof of 650m2 consisting of different types of moss, succulent plants and herbs (Ref. 1). This involved the placement of 11 tonnes of gravel, 20.000 liters of substrate and 30kg of sedum (Ref. 1). Also a bee house was placed with 2000 bees made out of reused construction materials (Ref. 1,2).
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Nature on buildings (external)
Green roofs
Type of Green Roof
Extensive Green Roof: depth 3 - 5 inches; plants: Mosses, Sedums, Succulents, Herbs and few Grasses; Low maintenance and costs
Vegetation Type
Other
Amenities offered by the NBS
Unknown
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Local climate regulation (temperature reduction)
Air quality regulation
Pollination
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Scale
Spatial scale
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Governance
Governance arrangements
Led by non-government actors
Non-government actors
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches
Citizens or community groups
Other
Please specify other non-government actors involved
Theatre (Ref. 1).
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The project is initiated by the coordinator of De Roma theatre, Paul Schyvens (Ref. 1). De Roma is a theatre that is run by a board, employees and more than 400 volunteers and has been renovated over the last years (Ref. 1, 5). The green roof is created by volunteers of De Roma and Kopspel, which is an organization that provides learning-working places for student of 'Deeltijds beroepssecundair onderwijs (Part-time Secondary Professional Education) and temporary employment for people that want to turn back to the labour market (this organization is specified as civil society organization) (Ref. 1). Beekeeper and volunteer of the theatre Koen Monté has placed the bee house on the roof, which was created by 'Atelier Recup' (two artists that use reused construction materials to create art and goods). Koen Monté does the maintenance of the bee house (Ref. 1). The project received a subsidy by the Province of Antwerp for the realization of the green roof (Ref. 1, 4).
Key actors - initiating organization
Other
Please specify other key actors – Initiating organization
Theatre (Ref. 1)
Land owners
Other
Please specify other Key actors - Other stakeholders involved
Theatre (Ref. 1)
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Non-government organisation/civil society
Citizens or community group
Other
Land owners
Other
Please specify other land owner
Theatre (Ref. 1)
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Co-management/Joint management
Please specify other landowner
Theatre (Ref. 1)
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Please specify other type of voluntary intervention
The project was initiated because it would improve biodiversity and it would contribute to Antwerp's climate change adaptation by reducing temperature and improving air quality (Ref. 1,2,4).
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Please specify other vegetation type
Different types of moss, succulent plants and herbs (Ref. 1).
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The Province of Antwerp subsidized 15000 euro for the realization of the green roof (Ref. 1,4).
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
€10,000 - €50,000
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
At least € 15 000
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
The Province of Antwerp subsidized 15000 euro for the realization of the green roof. This is a 'subsidie voor leemilieuprojecten' (subsidy for environmental projects) in which the Province of Antwerp finances a maximum of 80% of the project costs (Ref. 1,4). It is unknown how much the exact costs were, but regarding that the subsidy was 15000 euro it is highly unlikely that the project was more than 50000 euro.
Source(s) of funding
Public regional budget
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Business models
Risk reduction model
Urban offsetting model (biodiversity or water)
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Citizens / local communities
Type of innovation
Unknown
Novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Replicability/Transferability
Ambiguous (e.g. multiple interpretations)
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
The green roof should motivate other businesses and citizens surrounding the building to also create green roofs (Ref. 1, 4), but it is unknown to what extent it has actually been replicated.
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Climate change
Lowered local temperature
Reduced emissions
Environmental quality
Improved air quality
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Enhanced support of pollination
Description of environmental benefits
Climate change:
-Lowered local temperature/Reduced emissions: The green roof is expected to contribute to Antwerp's climate change adaptation because it reduces temperature (Ref. 1). The main goals of the green roof were improving biodiversity and contributing to climate change adaptation (Ref. 1,4) by means of reducing temperature and improving air quality (Ref. 4).

Environmental quality
-Improved air quality: "This green roof offers many advantages: it not only provides more biodiversity in an urban environment, but also cools, improves air quality and better insulation of the building" (Ref. 1).

Green space and habitat:
-Increased green space area: 650m2 green space was created (Ref. 1).
-Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems (local habitats for local species)/Enhanced support of pollination: the bees improve pollination of the parks and vegetable gardens surrounding the theatre building (Ref. 1, 2).
Economic impacts
Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Description of economic benefits
Increase of jobs: Employment: the realization of the green roof has created employment for the employees of Kopspel that aim for turning back to the labour market and for students of the Part-Time Secondary Professional Education (Ref. 1).
Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not): "the bees can produce up to 20 kilos of honey in a favorable week" (Ref. 2).
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved access to urban green space
Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Description of social and cultural benefits
Social justice and cohesion:
-Improved access to urban green space: 650m2 green space was created (Ref. 1).
-Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces: De Roma is a theatre that is run by a board, employees and more than 400 volunteers and has been renovated over the last years (Ref. 1, 5). The green roof is created by volunteers of De Roma and Kopspel, which is an organization that provides learning-working places for student of 'Deeltijds beroepssecundair onderwijs (Part-time Secondary Professional Education) and temporary employment for people that want to turn back to the labour market (this organization is specified as civil society organization) (Ref. 1).
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
- air cooling effect (Ref. 1)
- m2 green space created (Ref. 1, 2).
- kg of honey per week (Ref. 1, 2).
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Environmental quality
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Paid employment positions
Voluntary work opportunities
Work for rehabilitation (e.g. for mental health, prisoners, older people)
Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...
Improved access to green and/or blue spaces
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
As of October 5, 2020, the theatre's website (Ref. 5) indicates that "Due to COVID-19, the ticket line is only accessible from 10:00 to 12:30 on Fri 21/8 + Fri 28/8 + Fri 4/9 + Fri 11/9 + Fri 18/9". Belgium began a gradual deconfinement process in May (https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/faq/).
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Observation (including virtual surveillance methods)
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
(1) News website where news article about the green roof can be found
(2) News website where news article about the green roof can be found
(3) Video of the construction of the green roof
(4) News article on the bee house that is placed on the roof
(5) Website of the theatre
List of references
1. De Groene Stad (2016). Cultuurtempel De Roma in Antwerpen gaat 650m2 aan plat dak vergroeien [online] Available at: http://degroenestad.nl/cultuurtempel-de-roma-in-antwerpen-gaat-650m²-aan-plat-dak-vergroenen/ (Accessed: October 5, 2020).
2. Het Laatste Nieuws (2017). Ook De Roma heeft nu een bijenkast op het dak staan. [online] Available at: http://www.hln.be/regio/nieuws-uit-borgerhout/ook-de-roma-heeft-nu-een-bijenkast-op-het-dak-staan-a3164979/ (Accessed: October 5, 2020).
3. Unknown (2016). Een groen dak voor De Roma. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYUCQTokFM8 (Accessed: October 5, 2020).
4. Provincie Antwerpen (2016). Budget 2016. Machtigingskrediet 0390/64900000. Antwerp: Province of Antwerp. [pdf] Available at: https://www.provincieantwerpen.be/content/dam/provant/dmco/griffie/provincieraad/agenda/2016/mei/11-1%20DMCO-GRIF.pdf (Website not available in 2020).
5. De Roma (n.d.) Wie is wie? [online] Available at: http://www.deroma.be/OverDeRoma/wieiswie.aspx (Website not available in 2020).
Comments and notes
Public Images
A beekeeper tending to a beehive on a rooftop
https://www.hln.be/in-de-buurt/borgerhout/ook-de-roma-heeft-nu-een-bijenkast-op-het-dak-staan~a7d61700/