The integration of green areas and living walls into university spaces, with the aim of enhancing comfort and well-being in our buildings, was a key area of focus of the “Sport and Well-being” Sustainability Initiative, which remained active until 2025. The Living Wall is a tangible example of how the presence of vegetation can enhance the study and work experience in the spaces we use every day. The project also combined this goal with opportunities for teaching, through the Passion in Action programme that led to its development, and for research, establishing itself as a true living lab integrated into the campus.

A LIVING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY AND A LIBRARY OF PLANTS

From a student idea to a new space for the Campus

The Living Wall was developed as part of the Sustainability Worksites (Cantieri della Sostenibilità) at Politecnico di Milano, working groups that engage the Politecnico community in transforming innovative ideas related to sustainable development into tangible projects for the University.

The project builds on a journey that began with the Passion in Action course Human-nature synergies for sustainability | A laboratory for prototyping a hydroponic system, in which students experimented with new ways of integrating nature, technology and the built environment. This experience led to The Living Monument, the first prototype created by the students and subsequently presented at the FOOD&CITY – Architecture, Design and Engineering for Food Sustainability exhibition at Politecnico di Milano.

Today, that experience returns to Cremona on a different scale and with a new purpose: from an experimental prototype, it has evolved into a permanent hydroponic green wall designed to become part of everyday life in the Campus library.

A living wall at the heart of the library

The wall is located at the centre of a new relaxation area designed for taking breaks, studying, meeting and socialising. Rather than being a purely decorative feature, it is conceived as an ecological and cultural infrastructure capable of connecting nature with the people who experience the Campus every day.

The presence of plants introduces a dynamic natural element into the indoor environment: a living system that grows, changes with the seasons and responds to its surroundings. The wall is intended to contribute to the quality of the space and the well-being experienced within it, offering daily contact with vegetation in a place dedicated to studying and university life.

The Living Wall thus also becomes a distinctive feature of the Campus: a “living wall” that connects biodiversity, well-being and learning, helping to make the library a shared and recognisable space.

A small community of local plants

The wall uses hydroponic cultivation: plants grow without soil and receive water and nutrients through a recirculating system. Water is collected in a tank located in the base, pumped to the top and distributed along the planted columns. After passing through the root system, it is collected again and recirculated, creating a closed loop that enables efficient use of water.

The principle is simple: resources are kept in circulation rather than being used only once.

The choice of vegetation is also part of the experiment: varieties of native plants belonging to the local flora and suited to the wall’s cool, humid and shaded conditions. Over time, students will assess their adaptation to hydroponic cultivation and to the library’s indoor environment.

The plant composition is therefore conceived as dynamic and adaptable: different forms, growth habits and life cycles contribute to creating a wall that is never exactly the same, but evolves over time as a small vertical plant community—changing and experimental, continuously adapting to the conditions of its surroundings.

A Living Lab that makes the invisible visible

The Living Wall is also a living laboratory. A network of sensors monitors parameters such as air temperature and humidity, water level, light intensity and air quality in real time. The data are transmitted to the cloud and can be viewed through a dedicated interface.

Monitoring also supports the management of the system, from nutrient dosing to identifying maintenance requirements. The data collected will also make it possible to observe the relationship between vegetation and the indoor environment, studying aspects such as plant growth, microclimate and air quality over time and seeking to quantify the environmental benefits associated with the wall.

The Living Lab therefore brings together two complementary dimensions: on the one hand, people's well-being and their perception of the quality of a space enriched by the presence of nature; on the other, the possibility of measuring and studying some of the effects of vegetation on the indoor environment.

What would normally remain invisible—the circulation of water, environmental conditions, plant growth and their interaction with the surrounding space—thus becomes data, knowledge and a tool for learning about sustainability through everyday experience.

A project built together, specifically for this place

The structure itself reflects the philosophy behind the project. The plant system is modular and supported by a metal structure designed to visually complement the mobile shelving units already present in the library. The elements that house and support the plants are made from biobased materials, incorporating careful material selection into the design of the system itself.

At the base of the wall, a large element made of reclaimed wood houses the tank, pump, and control and dosing systems while keeping them accessible for maintenance. The reuse of wood—recovered from crates previously used to transport valuable goods—and the use of biobased materials introduce principles of circularity and responsible resource use.

Technology and technical systems are not additions to the wall but integral parts of its design. The lighting was also specifically designed for the installation, balancing the physiological requirements of the plants with the integration of the wall into the library environment.

Structure, materials, vegetation, lighting and technological components therefore come together to form a single integrated system.

A project built by a community, for a community

Above all, The Living Wall is the result of a co-design process involving students, faculty members and external partners through educational activities, design, prototyping and construction.

Students at Politecnico di Milano contributed to the conception and development of the idea through the Passion in Action course and continue to be involved in the life of the wall through management, observation and experimentation activities.

Aquaponic Design, a company specialising in the development of soilless cultivation systems, led the design of the hydroponic system and its technological components. Echo Labs, a social enterprise working on material recovery through design and inclusion projects, contributed to the design and construction of the reclaimed wooden elements. Progetto Aura developed the lighting design, creating a solution tailored to the needs of the plants and its integration into the library environment.

The collaboration therefore does not end with the installation. The wall is conceived as a system to be cared for, observed and allowed to evolve over time, also through the direct involvement of students in its management.

It is part of the library and, in this sense, belongs to the community that uses it: not simply something to look at, but a shared project to care for together.

Milestones in this story

2024–2025 | PASSION IN ACTION

Human-nature synergies for sustainability | A laboratory for prototyping a hydroponic system

Students and faculty members design and experiment with a vertical hydroponic system, exploring the relationships between nature, technology and the built environment.

2025 | THE LIVING MONUMENT

The experimentation leads to The Living Monument, the first prototype built by the students and presented at the FOOD&CITY – Architecture, Design and Engineering for Food Sustainability exhibition at Politecnico di Milano.

2026 | THE LIVING WALL

The experience returns to the Cremona Campus and becomes a permanent green infrastructure in the library: a new space for well-being, experimentation and care, available to the university community.

Useful links

FOOD&CITY Exhibition

Politecnico di Milano Sustainability Strategic Plan

Acknowledgements

Aquaponic Design | Design and technologies for soilless cultivation systems
www.aquaponicdesign.it

Echo Labs | Social enterprise, circular design and material recovery
www.echolabs.it

Progetto Aura | Lighting design for innovative agriculture
www.progettoaura.it

Workshop and opening

September 22, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. in the library

Register here:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/up98J45aUr?origin=lprLink