BMBF: Roof Water Farm

2013 – 2017

Funding: in the framework of the Scientific Coordination Project (WK INIS) to BMBF funding measure “Intelligent and multifunctional Infrastructure Systems for a future water supply and sanitation” (INIS).
Researchers: Prof. Dr. Angela Million, Dr. Grit Bürgow, Dr. Anja Steglich (project management and scientific coordination); Tim Nebert, Svea Ruppert, Heiko Ruddigkeit (student assistants)
Gisela Prystav | TUB – ZEWK/kubus, Centre for Scientific Continuing Education and Cooperation (project management) | http://www.tu-berlin.de/?49335
Cooperating partners:
Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology UMSICHT | http://www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de/en.html
inter 3 GmbH – Institute for Resource Management | http://www.inter3.de/en.html
Nolde & Partner Innovative Wasserkonzepte | http://www.nolde-partner.de/
TERRA URBANA Umlandentwicklungsgesellschaft mbH | http://www.terraurbana.eu/?&wslanguage=en
Senate Department for Urban Development and the Environment (Abteilung VI) | http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/index_en.shtml
ROOF WATER-FARM demonstrates paths towards  innovative city water management and urban food production. Potentials and risks of redesigning across sectors of infrastructure will be explored and communicated.
The research association investigates opportunities for building-integrated water treatment systems to irrigate and fertilize roof-top greenhouses. Technologies for water treatment and aquaponics (plant and fish cultivation) will be examined at a demonstration and test site in Berlin-Kreuzberg. The research focuses on a hygienically safe usage of rainwater, greywater and blackwater as both a strategy for city water management and a potential for urban food production. The transferability of the ROOF WATER-FARM concepts into the urban realm will be examined based on preliminary findings. Structural variants of greenhouse plant and fish production in greenhouses will be projected for the scale of a building unit, and upscaled for urban spaces at large. Over the course of the project, researchers will develop process-related communication and training tools for building-integrated water treatments and urban food production.
Project website: http://www.roofwaterfarm.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roofwaterfarm
Publications:
Download project flyer: http://www.roofwaterfarm.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Leporello-RWF_DE2.pdf