GREENO2: from green roofs to sustainable universities of the future

VITERBO – Roofs are no longer just technical surfaces to be insulated or covered. They are increasingly emerging as living infrastructures capable of producing knowledge, improving well-being, and strengthening urban resilience. This vision framed the final conference of the European project GREENO2 – Green Roofs in Higher Education (co-funded by ERASMUS+ Programme), held on 8 April 2026 at the University of Tuscia.

Over the course of the afternoon, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM, 49 participants in presence and numerous online connections took part in an intense European dialogue combining research, education, and experimentation. Among the remote contributions was that of architect Claudio Bordi, who brought an urban perspective on green infrastructure and sustainable transformation.

The opening session was led by the University of Tuscia team, including project coordinator Andrea Colantoni, together with Carlo Contardo, Raffaele Pelorosso, and Giorgio Scavino. Their contributions outlined a shared vision of universities as living ecosystems of sustainability, where research, teaching, and territorial engagement are deeply interconnected. The Mediterranean context was highlighted as a privileged environment for testing nature-based solutions, thanks to its climatic and cultural diversity. Within this framework, the GREENO2 Handbook was presented as a key tool for adapting solutions to different local contexts, promoting flexibility and replicability rather than standardized approaches.

The project was then further illustrated through the voices of its European partners, reflecting its transnational and multidisciplinary nature. From Poland, the consortium ASKIM, represented by Krystian Cholaszczynski, Przemysław Pawlak, Magdalena Bodzenta, and Paweł Łagoda, shared its methodological and training contributions. From Spain, the University of Cadiz, with Fran Sanchez and Mª Dolores Gómez Domínguez, presented its work on educational content and digital learning environments. The social and participatory dimension of the project was addressed by Panteion University through Εfi Ntrouva. The digital innovation component, including the AI-PANC system, was presented by Elena Tsintari on behalf of GRIPEN EUROPE. Cultural and territorial perspectives were contributed by Vassilis Bokolas and Dimitra Sitareniou, while applied research and impact evaluation were addressed by Paolo Di Paolo for LIM Srl and Bogdana Nosova for TSNUK.

While the first part of the conference focused on presenting results—training curriculum, MOOC, handbook, and digital tools—the second part shifted towards participation. Students and stakeholders were actively involved in interactive sessions that turned the conference into a collaborative laboratory of ideas. The central message was clear: sustainability in higher education cannot be designed top-down, but must emerge through active engagement of its communities.

It was in this context that the new GREENO2 Contest was officially launched, in collaboration with the RealUrbanGreen project, under the slogan: “Where green meets research: your space for ideas and oxygen.” The initiative is open to students and stakeholders from both GREENO2 and RealUrbanGreen communities, aiming to foster co-creation of innovative solutions for rainwater harvesting and management.

The contest focuses on the future urban installation at Monte Ciocci Park in Rome, where a green-roofed gazebo and a small biolake will become the center of an urban living lab. Participants are invited to develop ideas capable of collecting and reusing rainwater from the gazebo roof, supporting the ecological balance of the biolake, enhancing biodiversity, and transforming the space into an open-air learning and research environment.

Contributions may take the form of short videos, design concepts, sketches, or written ideas. The most promising proposals will be showcased in a hybrid public event hosted at the future green gazebo, while the top five winners will receive sustainable GREENO2-themed prizes.

In the closing part of the conference, architect Claudio Bordi returned to the urban dimension of the discussion. Presenting the TOPSEC project under the European Urban Initiative, he emphasized how green roofs should be understood as strategic urban infrastructures. The integration of biochar, he explained, represents a promising innovation to enhance environmental performance, increase biodiversity, and strengthen climate resilience.

The conference concluded with a shared understanding: GREENO2 is not an endpoint, but an evolving process. Its outputs are not static documents but practical tools ready to be adopted, adapted, and replicated across European contexts. From often invisible rooftops, a new vision of the university emerges—more open, participatory, and deeply connected to the environmental challenges of the future.