Further cooperations
Vertical farming - a pilot project by UNU-FLORES and TU Dresden
A hydroponic tower has been standing in the Botanical Garden since spring 2025. It is part of a pilot project initiated by UNU-Flores. This Dresden-based Institute of the United Nations University focuses on research into the sustainable use of environmental resources. The tower was built to test how vertical farming works in practice. The aim is to find out which vegetable varieties are best suited to the conditions and location of the cultivation tower and under which environmental conditions healthy and efficient plant growth can be achieved. Vertical farming is an innovative cultivation method in which plants are cultivated on, on or in buildings as well as on vertical surfaces or (as here) in towers. Often, space-saving hydroponic or aeroponic systems without soil are used, in which nutrient-rich water flows around the roots. Compared to conventional agriculture, this technique saves a considerable amount of water and space and enables resource-saving food production directly in the city - close to the end consumer.
More information about the project
BienenBrückenBauen - a project of the Umweltzentrum Dresden e.V.
In 2025, a survey of wild bees will be carried out on the grounds of the Botanical Garden by the BienenBrückenBauen project of the Umweltzentrum Dresden e.V. (Dresden Environmental Center). Between April and September, project staff will investigate which wild bee species are present in the areas.
The surveys are intended to help compile as complete a species list as possible of wild bees in the city of Dresden. With the knowledge of which species are present in our city, measures to promote wild bees can be planned and implemented in a more targeted manner. The BienenBrückenBauen project has set itself the goal of improving the situation of wild bees in the city of Dresden. There are also opportunities for citizens of the city to get involved: from species identification courses and wild bee advice to planting bee-friendly flowering plants on your own balcony or in your garden.
text: BienenBrückenBauen, Reinhild Müller Botanical Garden
Auf Wildbienenexkursion im Botanischen Garten Dresden
Integrated water management pilot project
In the project, which has been running since 12/2019, a team from the fields of landscape architecture, urban hydrology, meteorology and building physics is researching the complex processes of simple intensive green roofs. 21 individually recordable test areas were set up on a roof in the Botanical Garden. The roof areas are irrigated using gray water from the administration building. One of the aims is to quantify the effects of irrigated simple intensive green roofs on the building fabric and climate, water balance, ambient climate and the vitality and aesthetics of the planting.
More information about the project
Research project "Protective components to reduce solar UV exposure for outdoor workers"
Around three million employees in Germany work mainly or partly outdoors. They are often exposed to increased UV radiation for several hours a day. This has consequences: They are twice as likely to develop a skin tumor.
The Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) and the Clinic and Polyclinic for Dermatology at TU Dresden investigated various protective measures for their effectiveness and feasibility in a research project. To this end, several long-term measurements and tests were carried out together with employees of the Botanical Garden who regularly work outdoors. The results of the study provide guidance for employers and employees.
Long-term behavior of electrical contacts in tropical climates
Wie verhalten sich technische Verbindungen im tropischen Klima? Versuche im Tropenhaus sollen neue Erkenntnisse dazu liefern.
The increasing global demand for energy and the change in energy supply structures are changing existing electrical energy systems. This creates new challenges for developers and manufacturers of the components of these systems, which generate a considerable need for research.
With the increasingly intensive use of renewable energy sources far away from the conurbations to be supplied in other continents, knowledge is also required on the long-term behavior of connections in (from a European perspective) "extreme" climates. In endurance tests, the connection resistance of typical real technical connections is observed under very different environmental conditions, sometimes over three years. Comparative tests were set up under desert and coastal conditions in Egypt, in the tropical rainforest of Brazil, under subpolar conditions in northern Siberia and in the tropical house of the Botanical Garden in Dresden.
Sources:
[1] S. Dreier, S. Großmann, G. Moustafa, D. Guiaraes dos Santos, B. Rocha and V. Macedo: Long term behavior of stationary electrical connections in areas with harsh natural environmental conditions. CIGRÉ Science & Engineering Journal, 2015.
[2]M. Hering, S. Großmann: Connecting components to systems - current challenges. 14th Symposium on Energy Innovation, 10-12.02.2016, Graz/Austria
Text and images: Sebastian Dreier