CABALLERO FABRIEK, THE HAGUE

A former paved rooftop terrace of nearly 900 m² in The Hague's Binckhorst district, transformed into a green, multi-purpose outdoor space — without a single structural modification.

Caballero Fabriek in The Hague is a creative and industrial business hub in the Binckhorst. The outdoor terrace offered almost no greenery: a hardened, heat-absorbing surface with no cooling, biodiversity or quality of stay.

Commissioned by Living Lab Binckhaven, we installed six multi-stem trees in Jungle Blocks® on the terrace: Acer campestre, Alnus glutinosa, Betula pendula, Carpinus betulus, Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Sunburst’ and Platanus x hispanica. Complemented by extensive green roofs and fixed planters, the greenery runs across the entire terrace.

The planting is composed for maximum ecological value: flowering from early spring through late autumn, with species such as Origanum vulgare, Achillea millefolium, Echium vulgare and Sanguisorba officinalis actively feeding bees, butterflies and birds.

The terrace is divided into multiple zones — lunch & workspace, group workspace, lounge — with Jungle Blocks® structuring the space without hard boundaries.

The project is embedded in the overarching innovation programme Living Lab Binckhaven, where Jungle Blocks®, Wildr Dakbloemenweide, Earthkweek, and other initiatives jointly investigate how greenery on a paved rooftop terrace stays healthy - including during dry periods - and how biodiversity increases over time.