Rain garden: a functional structure and open-air courses from spring
Picture : Baudoin Adrien srl
Through its WASABI platform, the TERRA research unit has just inaugurated its new greenhouse, but it does not intend to stop there. Among its next projects, a rain garden and an exceptional teaching facility.
The earthworks are finished, the pond is filling up little by little and the hydrological measuring instruments are being installed. With each new rainfall, one can observe the swales that regulate the flow of runoff and allow infiltration and evaporation to relieve the Orneau. The young plantings have taken place and will continue to grow in the spring.
In the heart of the garden, an open-air amphitheater has been built. Built of local and sustainable wood, Douglas fir and larch, it will welcome students in the spring. It will also be equipped with sensors to measure the evolution of the wood. The hydrology and wood science courses will be held in the heart of these devices.
For spring 2023, Prof. Aurore Degré estimates that the ditches and the pond will be vegetated. The sensors that have been installed will have provided their first observations and will be accessible online for all, and especially for the students' practical work.
With its open-air auditorium and rain garden, WASABI once again illustrates the services that nature can provide in the city: regulation of flows, social role. Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech continues to enhance its campus for research and teaching.
The design and plans for the rain garden were made by Green Surf.
