Back to the rUUts

A perfect cohabitation human-nature in a common habitat, the Utrecht Science Park.

Back to the rUUts is a project that aims at restoration and improvement of biodiversity in the Utrecht Science Park habitat. Our intent is to make the campus more accessible to both species that were used to be spotted there in the past and to new ones. The main problem at the moment is the lack of connection between the greener areas surrounding the campus and its “center”, mainly concrete-based. We want to introduce small measures allowing biodiversity to repopulate and move freely across the campus such as: new nesting places (also on buildings thanks to nesting bricks or tiles), more food sources, more pollinators and enhanced soil quality, among the others. This biophilic design not only will provide to Nature the necessary space to grow and spread but at the same time will create contact and connection with people present on campus that will be able to participate actively, increasing in this way awareness, respect, protection and bringing benefits on life quality, inspiration, mental health, and increasing productivity. A true win-win relationship. Moreover, solutions like the open greenhouse(s), rooftop garden(s) and the farm, together with the already-present and beautiful botanical gardens, can be attractions for families with childrens or tourists coming from outside the campus that, with activities, can discover and deepen how bio-inspired technologies or principles studied on campus can be applied in real life to reduce waste and increase the production yield. Lastly, at the organic shop, will be possible to buy goods produced directly on campus such as milk, cheese, vegetables, eggs, etc., creating awareness within people on the importance of consuming food consciously and how big is the effect of the diet on the environment.

This project will involve the whole university and anyone in or outside of the campus, including normal families or tourists that will be able to participate, visit and or contribute to the enrichment of the project.

To realize all the ideas present in our project the estimated amount needed would be around 20.000-30.000€.This amount is mainly justified by the materials and projects needed for the construction of the little farm, the rooftop greenhouse(s), and the study room(s) structures. Nevertheless, in our project there all small measures, such as the floating gardens, the green facade's installations, the eco-friendly banks, etc. that can be realized with less money and still increase the "efficiency" of the campus regarding the biodiversity aspect.

Although I believe that by the end of the project, the Covid measures will no longer be in force, it will still be possible to book online to visit (tourists) or to access (workers) the greenhouses, the classrooms, and the farm.