ROTTERDAM, 31 July 2023 – The cityscape of Rotterdam is set to become greener with the World Trade Centre (WTC) Rotterdam's initiative to introduce a plant facade to its Beursplein car park. This move is part of a broader revitalisation project aimed at enhancing the sustainability of the building and its surroundings.

WTC Rotterdam's green initiative

The WTC Rotterdam has been actively engaged in a significant revitalisation project for several years, focusing on enhancing the sustainability of its building and surrounding area. The latest addition to this project is the transformation of the Beursplein car park, which will include the creation of a green facade on the Leeuwenstraat side. The green facade will add 400 square metres of plants and flowers to the city centre. The revitalisation of the car park and the greening of the facade are expected to be completed by mid-2024.

Benefits of urban greenery

Urban greenery plays a crucial role in combating climate change effects such as heat stress and waterlogging. It also improves the environment, promotes biodiversity, reduces air pollution, provides water storage, dampens noise pollution, and provides cooling during warm periods. In a city like Rotterdam, where horizontal square metres are scarce, vertical greenery is an ideal solution.

Revitalised car park

The car park's interior will also undergo significant changes, including a new floor coating, expanded parking spaces, and a refurbished and enlarged entrance. Additional parking spaces with charging stations for electric vehicles will be introduced. A bridge connecting the car park roof to AIR Offices will be constructed, accessible only to tenants of the office building. Plans are also underway to install solar panels on the car park roof.

Steps towards sustainability

Eveline Steenbergen, Managing Director of WTC Rotterdam & WTC The Hague, explained the ongoing efforts to make the building more sustainable. These include the installation of over 400 solar panels, replacement of all lighting with LED lamps, the introduction of an advanced climate system, two WKO installations, and a challenging facade renovation that saves 30 tons of CO2 emissions per year. The revitalisation and greening of the WTC-Beursplein car park are the latest additions to this list.

Directions to WTC Rotterdam

The WTC Rotterdam is located at Beursplein 37, 3011 AA Rotterdam, Netherlands. The area is easily accessible by public transport, with several tram and bus stops nearby. The Blaak train and metro station is also a short walk away. The area is known for its vibrant atmosphere, with numerous shops, restaurants, and cultural attractions nearby.

ROTTERDAM, 17 July 2023 – Rotterdam celebrates the start of the third edition of the Gezonde Smikkelweken (Healthy Snack Weeks), a playful journey to healthier eating habits for children, organised by the Spoony Foundation. More than doubling the number of participants from last year, an impressive 120,000 children will participate this year across the Netherlands.

An unprecedented turnout for the Healthy Snack Weeks

In the span of a year, the number of participants in the Healthy Snack Weeks has seen a remarkable increase. This year, the programme includes 1,100 out-of-school care locations (buitenschoolse opvang-locaties, or bso's), over 200 primary schools, and ten daycare centres (kinderdagverblijven, or kdv's). The national kick-off event will be held at Kiddoozz childcare bso Bevertuin in Rotterdam and will be inaugurated by Klokhuis presenter and local Rotterdammer, Nizar El Manouzi.

The Healthy Snack Weeks initiative is backed by the Spoony Foundation and enabled through the support of the government programme 'Jong Leren Eten' and several non-profit partners.

Spoony's founder, Phaedra Mensen, shared her concerns regarding children's diets. “In the Netherlands, 85% of children aged between 4 to 12 years consume insufficient vegetables. It is our mission to teach all children healthy eating habits. The Healthy Snack Weeks provide a tool to help them, by involving an entire system—children, parents, caregivers and schools.”

The national kick-off in Rotterdam

The launch of the Healthy Snack Weeks aligns with the second week of the summer holidays, across nearly 1,100 bso locations in the Netherlands. Within the South Holland province alone, over 120 bso's and roughly 10,500 children are participating. The kick-off will take place at the Kiddoozz childcare bso Bevertuin in Rotterdam. Nizar El Manouzi will host a healthy vegetable challenge with the Kiddoozz children to initiate the Healthy Snack Weeks. Like other participating bso's, Bevertuin will receive delightful packages brimming with fresh vegetables, games, and activities.

Expansion to primary schools and daycare centres

For the first time, schools and daycare centres will also be involved. Collaborating with the Goeie Grutten Foundation, a Healthy Snack Weeks lesson package has been developed specifically for children in grades four to seven. This will place the focus on education around healthy and sustainable food in over 200 primary schools. The youngest participants, children aged between one and four, will also be introduced to the Healthy Snack Weeks Mini, instilling an interest in healthy food from a young age.

Mensen expressed her delight at the increased participation. “Seeing so many children involved this year allows us to create even greater impact.”

Participate from home

All participating children will receive a cook-and-play book containing recipes, food games and challenges for use at home. Non-participating children can join in through the online platform. By taking part in the challenges, they stand a chance to win one of a hundred prizes. Participation will be open until 3 September 2023 through the official website.

ROTTERDAM, 13 July 2023 – In a heartfelt gesture, the Nieuw Rotterdams Café (NRC) has dedicated its renowned culture wall and exhibition space to the victims of the devastating Keilewerf fire. This initiative aims to support the creative entrepreneurs who tragically lost their life's work in the blaze.

NRC's initiative for Keilewerf victims

The NRC, a popular spot among locals, has decided to dedicate its culture wall to the fundraising campaign for the fire victims. “We believe we speak for all Rotterdammers when we say that our hearts ache for the entrepreneurs of the Keilewerf,” said Jasper Slikkerveer, manager at NRC.

The café is also offering artists the opportunity to display their works, providing a much-needed exhibition space. Lana Mesic from Place Based, the spokesperson for the crowdfunding campaign, expressed gratitude for the initiative, “NRC has designed a beautiful culture wall for us, depicting a powerful phoenix rising from the ashes. This is exactly how the restart of the Keilewerf should be, a 2.0 version, that has a permanent place here in our Rotterdam.”

Culture wall for a cause

The well-known culture wall, measuring 7x3 meters and usually showcasing cultural initiatives and events, will now share the crowdfunding page. Supporters can easily donate via a QR code. “NRC has always had a strong connection with Rotterdam's cultural sector, so we wanted to act as quickly as possible,” Jasper added.

About Keilewerf

Keilewerf, which started in 2014 as an empty warehouse, has grown into a breeding ground for furniture makers, artists, food truck builders, and musicians. They have built their own workshop and established beautiful collaborations. The existence of Keilewerf was celebrated annually with the Keilewerf festival, where everyone was welcome to get acquainted with the entrepreneurs and this wonderful place.

Directions to Nieuw Rotterdams Café

Nieuw Rotterdams Café is situated on the lively Witte de Withstraat, a street known for its vibrant nightlife and diverse culinary offerings. The café is easily accessible by public transport, with several tram and bus stops nearby.

ROTTERDAM, 13 July 2023 – An exhibition at Rotterdam's Wereldmuseum, entitled “Geen woorden maar draden” (No Words but Threads), brings the legacy of Moroccan embroidery to light, showcasing impressive works created with love, patience, and resilience. This exhibition provides a platform for female artists, whose names are often forgotten in history, to be recognised for their work, the most notable of whom is Saida Bennoude Azzabi.

Saida Bennoude Azzabi: A master of embroidery

In partnership with the Ellae Foundation, the exhibition is featuring a series of work under the program, “Art She Crafted,” introducing one of these under-recognised women, Saida Bennoude Azzabi. Azzabi is a master in the traditional Moroccan textile art of Tarz-Fessi embroidery. Her work, steeped in spiritual significance and artistic expression, showcases this centuries-old tradition that she passionately upholds.

Azzabi's unique talent lies in the creation of geometric patterns through intricate embroidery, executed without counting the stitches. She hails from the first generation of the diaspora and currently resides in Veghel. Azzabi began her training in Tarz-Fessi, one of Morocco’s textile heritage treasures, as a teenager at the Artisanat Traditionnel Residence Batha in Fes-Bali. The Tarz-Fessi embroidery style is characterised by its exactitude, evident in the patterns on the reverse side of the fabric mirroring those on the front.

Detail of pillowcase, on loan from Mrs. Azzabi. Photo credit: Alexander Santos Lima

Embroidery in modern fashion

Both fashion designers and embroiderers have rediscovered this embroidery technique, whose geometric patterns are enchanting the contemporary fashion world. Azzabi has built a substantial private archive over the past 60 years, showcasing the historical significance of Tarz-Fessi, making her first public appearance at the Wereldmuseum.

The exhibition includes items such as a kaftan, crafted over several years with thousands of carefully placed stitches forming geometric patterns. Also on display is a cushion cover embroidered with an equally detailed pattern that Azzabi created in 1969 at the age of 17. As part of the exhibition, she has also experimented with combining the traditional Tarz-Fessi embroidery with a new medium – photography, resulting in a youthful portrait on linen that she has embroidered directly onto.

A journey of self-discovery

Azzabi found herself drawn to embroidery at a young age, viewing it as a means to connect with her heritage and cultural traditions. As she embroidered, she learnt more about its history, systems, and meanings. “Tarz el Fessi embroidery really embodies everything,” she says. “Geometry, social codes, family traditions, embellishment, and more.”

General Directions

The Wereldmuseum is located at Willemskade 25, 3016 DM Rotterdam, Netherlands, in a bustling, vibrant area of the city. To access the museum, one can use public transportation or private vehicles. The museum is easily reachable by Tram 7 or Metro lines D and E. For those driving, ample parking is available nearby.

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The Ellae Foundation

In collaboration with its partners, the Ellae Foundation works towards a diversified, emancipated, and broadly cultured society. Their mission includes bridging the gender, cultural, and socioeconomic gap in the arts/culture/media sector.

About the Exhibition

The “Geen woorden maar draden" exhibition, which opened on 8 June 2023, showcases a broad array of embroidery work, much of it from the museum's collection, crafted by individuals around the world. The exhibition explores embroidery's multifaceted significance as decoration, cultural expression, narrative document, and reflection of group and individual identities. It will run until 22 October 2023.