Korea: University Rooftop Provides Food and Rainwater Storage

Engineers of Seoul National University made a special green-roof in their campus. The green-roof can storage rainwater, absorb heat energy and grow vegetable.

Professor Mooyoung Han’s Paper Presented at Sesttle’s Cities Alive Conference, 2017

By Professor Mooyoung Han
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Eng.
#35-302 Seoul National University
#1 Daehakro Kwanakgu, Seoul, Korea
(Must see. Mike)

Excerpt:

There are additional social benefits which cannot be quantified. This vegetable garden became a place for communication between school and local residents. Every month, participants of urban farming on #35-dong green roof gather, share their harvested crops. Three big events at the green roofs became regular: Potato harvesting and sharing at the end of June, Full moon festival with traditional Korean rice cake making at Aug 15, in lunar calendar, and Kimchi making and sharing with foreign students at the end of November. Students, professors, local neighbors, and foreign students participate and enjoy the culture and sharing.

Additionally, Korea Beekeeping Association set 8 hives on the green roof and extract 40 kg of honey a year. Thus, this green roof exists as a learning place for students and urban farmers. This project already became a showcase in Korea as well as in the world and received the National Energy Global Award 2014, and Showcase award at the World Water Forum in 2015. More than 4,000 people from Korea and other countries visited this green roof each year since 2014. Mass media or social media are making news and a special program from this roof garden.

See both papers.

Powerpoint: Evaluation of Green roofs from the Water-Energy-Food Nexus perspective

Word: Session 2 – Evaluation of Concave Green Roof from Water – Energy – Food Nexus Perspective

Professor Mooyoung Han speaks on panel discussion.