Botanical Monuments

26 green places in Rotterdam

The Botanical Monuments are 26 green places in Rotterdam which are part of the 11th edition of the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR). They address this biennale’s ambitions to shift architecture’s relationship with nature, focusing on ecologies and nature. During the biennale different activities will take place in these Botanical Monuments.

Check the public program
Check the Botanical Monuments Map

Botanical Monuments consist of initiatives rooted in green public spaces across various locations in Rotterdam. A network of locations and initiatives that we hope will continue to expand over time, connected by regenerative community and gardening practices, and rooted in the coexistence and daily rituals with nature. The IABR 2024 is actively enhancing networks for biodiversity in Rotterdam by contributing to civic awareness and encouraging supportive research into existing master plans. Come and explore how global perspectives fit into local places – as a start to building in collaboration with nature and to last for generations. 

“Our goal is to tell our story and expand our community, starting with attracting consumers who become familiar with this area and eventually want their shopping baskets filled with local and nature-inclusive products from the land.”

• Buijtenland van Rhoon

“Transdisciplinary working is crucial—thinking beyond the boundaries of your own field and taking on multiple roles: an architect who thinks like a social worker, an artist who engages in social work. I hope the field of architecture will develop in this direction, because this is how you can truly make an impact.”

• Voedseltuin Rotterdam

"Their dream of making rural life in Rotterdam accessible to the public has become a reality: the farm comprises an old cowshed transformed into a public farmyard with a large nature playground, a Natuurmonumenten information point and shop, a wool workshop, and a lunchroom."

• De Belevenisboerderij Schieveen

“If we dream big, we'd love to see every green space in the city designed as a place to pick, sow, and harvest.” 

• Voedselbos de Overtuin

"I strive for a worldview where we see ourselves as part of the whole. People do not consider themselves part of nature. That's why plants are treated this way, and that's what I want to change"

• Park 1943

“We try to tell everyone's story through plants that come from all over the world, from Suriname to South Africa."

• Botanische tuin Afrikaanderwijk

“All communities manage a part of the park themselves, and that is unique. We bring this together under one name, Stadspark West, a park that combines various functions and unites communities under one name, without losing the uniqueness of each place."

• Stadspark West

“People often don't realize that they can manage a piece of land in a city if they want to. With Charlois Swamp, we want to show that it's possible and how to do it.”

• Charlois Swamp

"We also have local youth and homeless people using the park at night. This also adds character as that is also how the city lives."

• Hefpark

“Every interaction, no matter how small, is crucial to recognizing and valuing a place. These moments of engagement are just as important as the broader ecological changes we seek.”

• Shared Grounds