The Faculty of Education Sciences at UIC Barcelona has added a geodesic dome, an innovative greenhouse, to its facilities on the Sant Cugat Campus. The new facility has been designed for students on the Bachelor's Degrees in Pre-Primary Education and in Primary Education to carry out work placements in the field of horticulture and education.
The greenhouse’s design is both aesthetically and conceptually innovative, meeting all technical parameters and needs in terms of ventilation and light, thus creating an artificial and controlled indoor atmosphere that will shorten the vegetative cycles of the plants and improve the quality of the crops. As a result, since the beginning of the 2021-2022 academic year, the future teachers have access to an innovative learning space where they can develop specific and cross-disciplinary competences in subjects such as “Childhood, Health and Nutrition” or “Teaching and Learning Experimental Sciences”.
The installation will not only allow for exhibition classes, but also for students to present projects and work in collaborative groups. At the same time, the space will allow students to put their professional skills into practice by developing and preparing workshops for children, aimed at pupils from schools near the Sant Cugat Campus.
The Domo greenhouse can also be used by students from the Experience Campus, in collaboration with the Faculty of Education Sciences, to undertake gardening and horticultural activities.
“The design of the Domo greenhouse was inspired by students’ experiences during their work placement at the Faculty’s university allotments on the Barcelona Campus, the result of a project awarded in 2012 by the Mapfre Foundation”, explains Mónica Fernández, vice-dean of the Faculty. “In the context of the Faculty's move to the Sant Cugat Campus, we considered it important to create a university-level teaching space that would incorporate aspects such as air conditioning, orientation, surface area and layout. Thanks to the help of a team of agricultural engineers, led by the UIC Barcelona Operations Management Department, today, the Domo greenhouse is a reality and a unique initiative among the Faculties of Education”.
