Living Lab
National Green Infrastructure Facility
A 'living laboratory' situated within the Urban Sciences building which aims to create more resilient and sustainable infrastructure for future generations.
The National Green Infrastructure Facility (NGIF) is a living laboratory that researches into Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDs), Green Infrastructure approaches, and more at Newcastle University. The lab is situated within the Urban Sciences Building.
ReForest: Biomass & Food Crops
Cockle Park Farm is one of Newcastle University’s practical learning and research farms. It is also a proud part of the ReForest North East of England Living Lab Network, with 20 hectares of the space is dedicated to agroforestry.
The agroforestry field hosts a double row of willow and poplar trees with arable crops planted between them. University researchers are monitoring soil properties, biodiversity, invertebrates and mammals as well as LiDAR readings on the willow and poplar biomass. The resulting research could inform agricultural policy and inform farming practices across the country.
To find out more about the Agroforestry Living Lab, please see the ReForest website.
The OME
The OME is situated near the Devonshire building on campus and is home to the Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment (HBBE).
The HBBE is a joint initiative between Newcastle University and Northumbria University that has been funded by Research England. The OME is home to research that aims to explore how to create self-sustaining, regenerative, living buildings. Inside the OME is a self-contained apartment above a research lab where researchers can explore how to convert domestic waste into energy, heat and other useful materials.
For further information about the OME, please see the HBBE website.
USB Living Lab
Newcastle University's Urban Sciences Building is the winner of a Green Gown Award 2018 for 'Campus of the Future'.
The Urban Sciences Building (USB), housing the School of Computing and the National Centre for Energy Systems Integration, is a building-as-a-lab (BaaL) or 'Living Lab'.
It utilises renewable energy and over 4000 digital sensors, the data from which is used in the Urban Observatory for research use.
The USB won a Green Gown Award for 'Campus of the Future' in 2018 for its exemplary low carbon and 'Living Lab' features. You can read more on this on the Green Gown wepages.
