Invitation to the: WE LOVE PUBLIC SPACE FESTIVAL and Grand opening ZOHO Rainletters

Festival: Friday 8 June 13.00 - 19.00 hrs (Opening Rainletters: 17.00 hrs)

Zomerhof quarter, Rotterdam NL

This year I and my collegues Floor van Ditzhuyzen and Ron Blom organise the second edition of the We Love Public Space Festival. I would like to invite you to join the celebration of the public space together with us ! Part of the festival is the grand opening of the ZOHO Rainletters.

Public Space is the mirror of society. It’s the place where we perform our every-day cultural exchange. We meet, eat, party, play, demonstrate and clash in public space. With the international 'We Love Public Space' Festival (WLPS) we celebrate public space and pay tribute to everyone who is professionally involved in city making. The aim of the Festival is to establish an open conversation about how city makers deal with developments that determine the design and use of public space.

The theme of this edition of the WLPS Festival 2018 is 'Tomorrow is Now!'. We will discuss those developments that are crucial for the future design and use of public space; the growing influence of technology (Smart City), the need for creative solutions for the climate-resilient city and the crucial role of public space as a meeting place. How do city makers deal with these trends? Which methods and strategies do they develop and use to achieve their goals? Part of the festival is the Grand opening of the ZOHO Rainletters.

ZOHO Rainletters: rainwater buffer and area icon

We are dealing with increasingly extreme weather. Longer periods of drought alternate with large amounts of rain in a short time. The sewer cannot always handle so much water, causing inconveniences. The Zoho Rain Letters designed by Studio Bas Sala contribute to the solution for these inconveniences. The letters are a rainwater buffer and a signboard for the neighborhood. The letters Zoho refer to Zomerhofkwartier, the name for this area.

The rainwater from the roof of the Hofbogen is led to the letters and thus does not enter the sewer. The smart system in the letters looks at the weather forecast via the internet. When a heavy shower is approaching, the letters release water into the surrounding garden and thus create buffer capacity for the coming rain shower. This way we relieve the sewer. During long periods of drought, it will retain water to provide the surrounding greenery with water. This sustainable system also works on solar energy.

for more information about the smart rainbarrel: www.smartrainbarrel.com

For full program: www.welovepublicspace.com

The interdisciplinary team that organizes the WLPS festival consists of Bas Sala (designer), Floor van Ditzhuyzen (architect) and Ron Blom (artist). We share a fascination for public space; we love public space! Team WLPS is representative for the various disciplines and views, approaches and strategies that are featured at the Festival; for city makers, by city makers.

The festival is part of the Rotterdam Architecture Month 

#Smart City #resilientcity #meetingplace #ZOHOrainletters #ZOHO #WELOVEPUBLICSPACE #RAM18