1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Essen
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Ronald McDonald Haus Essen im Grugapark
Short description of the intervention
The Ronald McDonald House is a temporary home for families with seriously ill children who are treated at the Essen University Hospital. The house was designed by the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, who merged the garden and architecture together in order to bring residents of the house closer to nature improving their psychological and health conditions (Ref. 1). The house was opened in 2005 in Essen's Grugapark (Ref. 2). A special highlight is the accessible intensive Green Roof (950 sqm) with grass, herbs, flowers, shrubs, and trees (Ref. 3).
Address

Unterm Sternenzelt 1
45147 Essen
Germany

Location
Point location, which indicates where the NBS takes place
NBS area
1200.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Public Greenspace Area
Website of the intervention
http://www.mcdonalds-kinderhilfe.org/wie-wir-helfen/ronald-mcdonald-haeuser/ess…
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
1999
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2003
End date of the intervention
2005
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Goals of the intervention
1. To enable a healing effect of nature in architecture (Ref. 2)
2. To improve psychological and health conditions of the residents of the house (Ref. 1)
3. To provide space for rest and relaxation for gravely ill children and their parents (Ref. 1)
4. To provide permanent access to nature for all residents of the house while preserving the function of shelter (Ref. 3)
5. Increase biodiversity within a building (Ref. 3)
6. To combine art, architecture, and ecology (Ref. 3)
Quantitative targets
Unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
1. Mental and physical health of residents improved (Ref. 1)
2. Number of new plants and species on the roof installed /grew / appeared (Ref. 3)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Habitat and biodiversity conservation
Green space creation and/or management
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Improving mental health
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
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
Implementation activities
1. Construction of 1,200 sqm roof area (Ref. 3)
2. Construction of the building with a minimized effect to surrounding nature (Ref. 3)
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
Parks and urban forests
Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Nature in buildings (indoor)
Green walls and ceilings
Atriums/Courtyards
Type of Green Roof
Intensive Green Roof: depth 7 - 24+ inches; plants: Perennials, Lawn, Putting green, Shrubs and Trees, rooftop farming; High maintenance and costs
Vegetation Type
Grass
Shrubs
Trees
Flower beds
Other
Please specify how many trees were planted
Unknown
Please specify other amenities offered by the NBS
A temporary home for families with seriously ill children who are treated at the Essen University Hospital (Ref. 1).
Amenities offered by the NBS
Other
Please specify "other marginalized group"
Seriously ill children (Ref. 1).
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Medicinal resources
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Inspiration for culture, art and design
Recreation
Mental and physical health and wellbeing
Spiritual and / or emblematic (symbolic, sacred and / or religious)
Physical and experiential interactions with plants and animals
Scale
Spatial scale
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Marginalized groups
Marginalized groups
Other
Governance
Governance arrangements
Led by non-government actors
Non-government actors
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The project was initiated by a Ronald McDonald Charity Foundation (McDonalds Kinderhilfe GmbH) and commissioned to an Austrian artist Friedrich Hundertwasser (Ref. 1).
Key actors - initiating organization
Public sector institution
Non-government organisation/civil society
Other
Please specify other key actors – Initiating organization
An Austrian artist Friedrich Hundertwasser came up with the idea of the center in 1999 (Ref. 2). Institutionally, the center is a part of Essen University Clinic (Ref. 1).
Land owners
No information found
Please specify other Key actors - Other stakeholders involved
An Austrian artist Friedrich Hundertwasser (Ref. 1).
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Public sector institution
Non-government organisation/civil society
Other
Land owners
No information found
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Unknown
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)
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
Grass, herbs, flowers, shrubs, and trees (Ref. 3).
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
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-financing governance arrangements
Yes
Co-governance arrangement
Other
Please specify other co-financing type
Non-profit organization (Ronald McDonald House Charities) (Ref. 1).
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Already in place
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
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)
"All of this is financed in part by the family's health insurers, but to a much larger extent by McDonald's Children's Aid. For example, each franchise automatically donates part of its profit to the foundation. The rest comes together through donations" (Ref. 5).
Source(s) of funding
Private Foundation/Trust
Insurance firms
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Donations
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Business models
Green health model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)
Type of innovation
Technological
Product innovation
Please specify technological innovation
The planning and construction of the accessible roof areas were a special challenge for anyone involved in the building project. The roof slopes are up to 35° and, therefore, at the upper limit for Green Roofs. In order to support the occurring thrust forces, state-of-the-art Green Roof technology was applied. Special drainage elements, anti-erosion nets and shear barriers ensure that the artist‘s dreams do not start "slipping". To guarantee lasting stability for the trees, the root balls were secured with a special underground anchoring. A special advantage: the tree fixing is invisible and at the same time maintenance-free (Ref. 3).
Novelty level of the innovation
The innovation is copied/derived from previous initiative(s) with substantial adaptation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
The approach to architecture that harmonizes perfectly with the surrounding nature is a general approach of all Hundertwasser's buildings (Ref. 4). For example, a dwelling complex in Vienna completed in 1983-85.
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Reduced biodiversity loss
Description of environmental benefits
Green space and habitat:
-Increased green space area: Construction of 1,200 sqm roof area with a minimized effect to surrounding nature (Ref. 3). "Hundertwasser accepted the assignment because, in addition to the social, human component, it was also about demonstrating that, despite the building of a house, nature is not destroyed, but that after the construction there is more nature than there was before. Only under these conditions was it possible to build one of the most famous parks in Germany, the Gruga Park, in a nature reserve" (Ref. 2).
-Reduction of biodiversity loss: Increase biodiversity within a building (Ref. 3).

Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved access to urban green space
Health and wellbeing
Improved mental health
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Improvement in people’s connection to nature
Protection of natural heritage
Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
Description of social and cultural benefits
Social justice and cohesion:
-Improved access to urban green space: provide permanent access to nature for all residents of the house while preserving the function of shelter (Ref. 3)
Health and wellbeing:
-Improved mental health/Gain in activities for recreation and exercise: "With its curved shapes and a mediation tower, which serves as a place of rest and relaxation, the house is ideal for leaving everyday clinical practice behind. Hundertwasser was convinced that architecture had to be there for people and not the other way around. Accordingly, he designed the Ronald McDonald House in Essen harmoniously. This created a sheltering cave in which families can withdraw and relax from the stressful time in the hospital" (Ref. 1).

Cultural heritage and sense of place:
-Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging/Improvement in people’s connection to nature: According to Hundertwasser's credo, a house in harmony with nature and the individual creativity of people was implemented (Ref. 2).
-Protection of natural heritage: "Hundertwasser accepted the assignment because, in addition to the social, human component, it was also about demonstrating that, despite the building of a house, nature is not destroyed, but that after the construction there is more nature than there was before. Only under these conditions was it possible to build one of the most famous parks in Germany, the Gruga Park, in a nature reserve" (Ref. 2).
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
1. Mental and physical health of residents improved (Ref. 1)
2. Number of new plants and species on the roof installed /grew / appeared (Ref. 3).
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Environmental quality
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
No information available
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
Ronald McDonald houses continued operating during the Covid-19 pandemic Available at: https://www.mcdonalds-kinderhilfe.org/ (Accessed: October 27, 2020).
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Unknown
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) Das Ronald McDonald Haus Essen
(2) Ronald McDonald Haus Essen. Hundertwasser
(3) Green Roof News Winter 2006
(4) Hundertwasserhaus. Mit Zwiebelturm und runden Ecken - märchenhafte Archite…
(5) Zum ersten Mal: Eine Führung durch ein Hundertwasserhaus mitmachen
List of references
1. McDonald's Kinderhilfe (2017). Das Ronald McDonald Haus Essen. Available at: http://www.mcdonalds-kinderhilfe.org/wie-wir-helfen/ronald-mcdonald-haeuser/essen/unser-haus/ (Accessed: October 27, 2020).
2. Hundertwasser Enzyklopadie (2017). Ronald McDonald Haus Essen. Hundertwasser. Available at: http://www.hundertwasser.at/deutsch/werk/arch/arch_ronald-mcdonald.php (Accessed: October 27, 2020).
3. IGRA (2006). Green Roof News Winter 2006, http://www.igra-world.com/links_and_downloads/images_dynamic/IGRA_Green_Roof_News_2_06.pdf (Website not available in 2020).
4. Grugapark Essen (2017). Hundertwasserhaus. Mit Zwiebelturm und runden Ecken - märchenhafte Architektur des österreichischen Künstlers. Available at: http://www.grugapark.de/hundertwasserhaus.html (Accessed: October 27, 2020).
5. Schuessler, Anne (2012). Zum ersten Mal: Eine Führung durch ein Hundertwasserhaus mitmachen. Available at: http://anneschuessler.com/2012/09/29/zum-ersten-mal-eine-fuhrung-durch-ein-hundertwasserhaus-mitmachen/ (Accessed: October 27, 2020).
Interview comments
Requested additional information on the sections 4 and 6. No response received from the e-mail.
Comments and notes
Pictures of the NBS
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/hundert1gross.jpg
Public Images
A yellow building with an onion dome and trees on the roof
http://anneschuessler.com/2012/09/29/zum-ersten-mal-eine-fuhrung-durch-ein-hundertwasserhaus-mitmachen/