Student research results - bluegreen panels

Our Industrial Design & Engineering student Iris Laagland has developed a series of designs for bluegreen panels to be tested on the roof of our Horst building. Each panel has its own method for capturing water, and is covered with a minimal level of soil to keep it lightweight. We are lucky to have a gift of sedum plants from Farwick for this project. The performance of the different panels will be analysed by our students of the minor smart solutions for sustainable cities, both for the regulation of extreme temperatures and the potential of water capture within the soil.

LILa construction October-December 2024

Now that the paths are constructed, the final electricity connections need to be connected to aboveground access points. Visually the terrain looks much the same in this period.

 

 

Results from an Urban Green Infrastructure Walk Shop during class

As last year, 3rd year students from the course Smart Solutions for Sustainable Cities were invited to do a walk shop where green infrastructure projects on campus are visited for inspiration, and subsequently design a green infrastructure solution. The main question centered again around performance of the design. 

The first question to answer is 'What is the main benefit you want to design green infrastructure for?' Students could choose from five themes: energy consumption, extreme temperatures, extreme precipitation, flood peaks, and CO2 sequestration. They had to choose one location they are familiar with. While most often locations on campus or in Enschede are selected, this year we also had a group designing for Almelo, and even a city in Mexico. 

Students next chose one type of green infrastructure to reach this benefit, and for the sake of performance, a sensor and measurement frequency to gather data that helps prove their infrastructure actually contributes to the benefit they want to achieve. You can see examples of their work below. Despite the short amount of time, the groups came up with actionable ideas for implementing green infrastructure at the locations.

Carbon sequestration:

 

 Energy consumption:

Flood peaks:

 

 Extreme temperatures:

 

 Extreme precipitation: