Dan Rusten, water garden with foot bath

'Dan Rusten' is a water garden with a foot bath in a public courtyard of CBS De Vliermeent school and Achilles sports club in The Hague.

After a large-scale renovation of the surrounding buildings, the square became available and artist Annechien Meier and Ing Joost Suasso designed a Japanese water garden with a foot bath. As the name indicates, the nature experience for visitors and children of the school takes place here in a more reflective, peaceful way in and around the water. The ecology and biodiversity on the square have also been increased by disconnecting drain pipes and the resulting river landscape with natural and swampy riversides and a reed filter pond. The nature-friendly riversides are a gradual transition from water to land, which gives plants and animals plenty of space to create a rich and varied life. In terms of vegetation, existing trees were used and we participated in the 'More Trees Now' project. Young trees from the Uithof have now been planted on the square (Hazelnut, Sweet Cherry and Hawthorn)

Microclimates

The large sand hills with north and south slopes create microclimates with extreme temperature differences where, for example, heat-loving coastal plants such as creeping juniper berries, sea kale, sea buckthorn and sedum do well. There are also more shady areas in the garden where ferns and arum lilies grow.

The water

The water in Dan Rusten is pumped around by four pumps in the reed filter pond. The water returns to the school's rain pipes via an underground pipe system. Here the water from the roof, from the disconnected drain pipes or from the pond, or both, can find its way back into the river landscape. The reed filter pond is also filled with ditch water from the adjacent ditch. In case of too much water, the riverside of the reed filter pond forms a natural overflow to the ditch.

First foot bath in the Netherlands in The Hague

Visitors can take a foot bath in the designated area. Taking a foot bath is a typical Japanese relaxation ritual that is missing in public spaces in the Netherlands. In June 2023, the first public foot bath in The Hague was opened by director of Sustainability Center The Hague Joris Wijsmuller and the students of Primary School de Vliermeent could take their first foot bath