Our “Edible Campus” real-world lab is becoming more visible and tangible!
On April 15, 2024, we harvested our MensaFarm at Cafáneo in the main library of TU Berlin and the UdK—University of the Arts—for the first time after a little over 5 weeks. In collaboration with the Department of Education for Sustainable Nutrition and Food Science—B!NErLe—StadtManufakturTUBerlin has been operating the hydroponic vertical farm cooperatively since March 2024, using a water-nutrient cycle system. Herbs, Swiss chard, and more are processed fresh just 10 meters away in the kitchen. The B!NErLe department is conducting user-oriented accompanying research. Thank you very much for that!
In parallel with the MensaFarm, we have exhibited a standalone farm in the form of a hydroponic planting column in the uniVERSUM exhibition, which is curated by colleagues from the Science & Society unit. The HydroTower is a spin-off product from our GartenLeistungen project in the Mobile Blue-Green Infrastructure real-world lab, through which we replicate and sustain farming and climate modules—linked to rainwater harvesting and water cycle technology—in the city, and connect them to meaningful real-world lab developments.
The “Edible Campus” real-world lab is directly linked to our campus projects focused on climate-effective redesign, specifically the ClimateHOOD real-world lab project and the Knowledge Pavilion. In close cooperation with the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district, we are designing new spaces, atmospheres, and climate-friendly neighborhoods using blue-green infrastructure, rainwater management, and renewable building materials as part of our contribution to Berlin’s transformation into a “sponge city” and a “circular city.”
Contacts for the “Edible Campus” Real-World Laboratory:
StadtManufaktur c/o Science & Society Office, TU Berlin Executive Board
stephanie.grundmann@tu-berlin.de
Foto: Grit Bürgow