The floating university was built this spring in Berlin by the efforts of teachers and students from various specialized universities on a reservoir for collecting rainwater near Tempelhof airport. The architectural association raumlaborberlin came up with this university, brought its idea to life and designed its campus. This campus included study spaces, workshops, an auditorium, a laboratory tower for an experimental water purification system, a kitchen, a bar, and bathrooms. Its campus is a bit like the buildings of the "countercultural" architects of the 1960s - 1970s, but the university was created and used not spontaneously, but with the participation of a number of respected institutions.
Students and teachers from over 20 international universities, artists from all over the world, local experts, architects, musicians and dancers took part in discussions, lectures, workshops, seminars, concerts and performances. The entire program was dedicated to the complex present and unknown future of cities. The two main questions were: How can cities cope with the risk and stress created by global warming, resource scarcity, super-diversity and hyper-accelerated development - these days? And what tools do we need to live and work happily and resource efficiently - in the future?
For the general public, the Floating University "semester", which ended September 15, had three open weeks, during which they could explore its temporary campus and attend a variety of round tables and concerts.
