Paul van Roosmalen

Programme Manager Multifunctional Roofs at Municipality of Rotterdam | The Netherlands

Paul van Roosmalen has been turning rooftops into spaces to combat urban challenges for over 15 years. As Programme Manager Multifunctional Rooftops, Paul develops a joint and versatile usage of urban roofs by combining a technical and social approach. Starting with rainwater catchment and urban greening, he developed Rotterdam’s sky terraces further with lateron solar panels – and people started flocking upstairs for socialising, recreation and even living. Paul and his team are always ready to take multifunctional roofs further and he initiated the LIFE@Urban Roofs project as well as DigiRoofs – latter focussing on international and inter-city collaboration on developing smart rooftop tooling. Sharing his experience with peers is just as important to Paul as learning from others because he is convinced that through knowledge exchange, we can use urban roofs as part of the solution for various urban challenges.