The Forestroom

The Forestroom is a restroom in the university library that is transformed into a forest, using visuals, real moss, forest scents, sounds and more.

The Forestroom is created by 4 students from the Utrecht University (UU), participating in an interdisciplinary honours programme called the Da Vinci Project. The UU wants to create a circular forest at the Utrecht Science Park. The Sustainability Department (UU) asked the students to invent a way to increase the active involvement of students around biodiversity through the circular forest, especially focusing on students who do not come in touch with topics like these through their studies. To achieve this goal, the Forestroom, a restroom transformed into a forest, was created. In the Forestroom, the students feel like they are in a forest because it is decorated with real moss hanging from the ceiling and easily cleanable wallpaper based on real forests. To stimulate the experience, sounds of birds and scents of trees can be noticed. Simultaneously, the students will learn more about biodiversity by means of an informational poster and a QR code that leads to a page with information, fun facts, quizzes and, in the future, calls to help out in the forest with various projects and activities supporting biodiversity. Due to this design, the Forestroom supports and enhances biodiversity by creating awareness about the importance of biodiversity and highlighting projects related to biodiversity with the aim of involving students. The purpose of the Forestroom is to inform and involve students in issues such as biodiversity in a fun way. The Forestroom should be located at the University Library to reach many students that way. It is not known how many people will use the restroom, but based on research it can be expected that almost every visitor to the University Library will use a restroom. Based on interviews, it can be stated that students like the idea and are eager to make use of it.

The current project is aimed at transforming University Library toilets in the city centre and the Utrecht Science Park, with potential expansions of the project possible to transform more bathrooms in other (University) buildings.

Realizing the Forestroom requires a certain amount of budget. Although the concept is applied to an already existing bathroom, there needs to be invested in certain materials. The wallpaper, the moss on the ceiling, the sound system and the posters/app have to be bought. This costs around 950 euros per bathroom, with a minimum of two bathrooms. Both the wallpaper and the app have to be designed by a designer. Lastly, the extra elements in the bathroom have to be installed by a handyman. Funds will be used for realizing the Forestroom, but could also be used for more research.

We hope that by the time that the Forestroom is realized, universities are open again. Even with limitations on on-campus education, University Libraries and their toilets will still be used.