Interesting architectural ideas for an even greener SPU – Green University were brought by the interdisciplinary educational course Green Interventions and Innovations, which took place at the Institute of Landscape Architecture of the Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering. The course was one of the activities of the “Race to Zero” strategy.

Their goal is to raise awareness of green innovations at the university that meet the goals of the GreenMetric assessment. The course participants proposed, for example, optical brightening of the space under the auditorium, its enrichment with a plant dominant in the middle of the entrance hall, a green roof, a green wall, or the addition of greenery to the long corridor connecting the pavilions in the main building of SPU. Their proposals also addressed the atrium, where they designed, for example, a water retention tank, greenery, and furniture.

The activity also included a competition implemented through the Fund for the Support of Innovative Ideas. Participants sought experimental solutions within specific assignments that were tied to the model territory of the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra: Interior and exterior biophilia, Innovative prototypes of green structures, Water retention measures, Revitalization of street space, Interpenetration of greenery exterior/interior - atrium. The best solvers of the assignments received financial rewards. The evaluation of the competition is available on the website https://cowork.uniag.sk/kurz/

Another sub-activity called Bio:B(L)OOK took place at the Slovak Agricultural Library. Its goal was to introduce participants to the creation of interior design objects from waste materials, primarily discarded book publications intended for shredding, supplemented with elements of interior greenery.

The third sub-activity – the Innovative Business Ideas Competition – included a Virtual Living Lab focused on the issues of sustainable business and consumption, social responsibility in business, creating a business plan with an emphasis on ESG strategy and the issue of technology transfer to business. Student teams who submitted their business idea based on the call could participate in the activities. After completing workshops and individual consultations, they transformed their ideas into business plans, which were evaluated by a professional jury. The virtual part was implemented via the portal https://cowork.uniag.sk/startup, where workshops were also held. The presentations themselves took place in the premises of the SPU Coworking Center.