OpenCultures at Campus North – Opening of the Temporary Climate Garden

The TU North Campus is characterized by high thermal stress, heavily paved surfaces, a lack of shade, few cool places to linger, and a shortage of seating and amenities—challenges that are typical of many urban spaces. At the same time, as a space undergoing transformation, it offers great potential for testing climate-sensitive approaches to open-space design.

The SubLab OpenPlanning of the Climate Future Lab OpenCultures aims to explore these climatic and socio-spatial challenges. In the temporary reed garden, which will be located on Campus North for the remainder of the project, nature-based solutions are combined with urban design approaches.

This involves not only professionally planned interventions, but also, and in particular, low-threshold, community-tested practices that can be adopted and further developed by various stakeholders—such as students, visitors, or staff.

Using recycled and reused materials, a shaded reed bed—a cooling pond—is created. Rainwater is collected, trees provide shade, and surrounding seating areas and shading elements invite visitors to linger. In the Climate Garden, research is conducted on the establishment of the plant community over time as well as on the microclimate. Through targeted events for and with campus stakeholders, strategies for the space, its use, and its design will be developed in combination with climate-sensitive spatial solutions. Thus, the Reed Garden becomes a space for learning, unlearning, and getting to know one another—a place where dichotomies such as nature-culture, science-practice, and teacher-learner dissolve and are renegotiated.

The Reed Garden was established in mid-April 2026 on the North Campus at Bienroder Weg, across from the lecture hall building. It is permitted to remain on site and be further developed until the end of 2029. The OpenPlanning team conceived the project, but its implementation would not have been possible without the numerous volunteers.

Invitation to the Soft Opening
Everyone interested is cordially invited to attend the soft opening on May 18 starting at 4 p.m. Anyone who would also like to get involved—for example, by organizing their own cultural, academic, or educational events—can contact the project team via the Sandkasten Plattform to learn more and become an active part of the project.