**The construction of a vertical garden**

When it comes to urban gardens, it is essential to consider that they are of three types:


A green facade is a plant system that often requires a special microclimate regime. In the case of high buildings, the plants are planted in the ground at the base of the construction, or in strategically placed pots, being expected to meet their objective of shading and preserving the temperature after several seasons.

Living walls consist of panels with plants that were previously mounted on them, their advantage as compared with a green facade being density. The preferred plants for this type of installation are the perennial or aromatic ones. Because the panels are modular, they are highly flexible and adaptable to the climatic conditions, resisting both in arid areas and in those with a high level of humidity.

Green support walls are the most elaborate construction, their purpose being to attenuate the slopes at an angle greater than 45 degrees but less than 88 degrees. At the base there are tiles made of different materials, previously filled with the type of soil that is adequate to the plants used. The aesthetic role is fulfilled only after the plants have reached maturity and the enveloped surface is perfectly covered by plants.

The vegetal envelope protects the exterior of the building and, due to the permeability of the materials used, the oxygen level is ensured to those who perform their activity inside the building. This is achieved through the processes of resuspension of dust and allergens in its composition (a process that prevents the emergence of allergies) and of absorption through the roots.

For the purpose of the present research, out of the three abovementioned options, a vertical garden (facade type) was opted for, due to the fact that it has lower costs than the other two, since its maintenance (near zero) and complexity levels proposed in the project are minimal.

The advantages of a vertical garden:


The construction of an urban garden

When it comes to the green space per capita, Bucharest ranks very low among the other European capitals. At the European Union level it has been decided that the optimal green space area per capita should be 26 square meters. At the national level, the data from the National Institute for Statistics indicate that a Romanian benefits from 21.4 square meters of green space. On the other hand, the World Health Organization considers the optimum to be of 50 squares meters per capita.

Taking all this into account, the prospect of developing an urban garden at a height, like in our case, on a large terrace of about 100 m2, represents the way to adapt to modern times and the desire to evolve in an era of ruthless consumption and speed.

By involving public and private entities as well as volunteers in the project, its implementation can be done with minimal expenses, in such a manner that in the medium and long term it does not only improve the environment but also generates profit.

Plant seedlings (cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, red beets) and aromatic plants will be grown. They can generate added value through processing (pickles) and can be used in the BUES canteens, where most of the community of about 23,000 people eat five days a week.

Additionally, the scraps obtained from the canteen can be used as compost, thus respecting a complete cycle of recycling and reuse. Water for drip irrigation will be collected from rainwater, and it will be directed to the garden with the help of the gravitational force.

The maintenance of the seedlings will be done in turns by groups of 5–10 volunteer students who are members of the ASEAM (Students' Association—AgriFood and Environmental Economics) NGO. The volunteer groups will provide daily care for 2 h, except during the summer when the periodicity is not as necessary. They will be regularly assisted by agriculture and horticulture teachers, engineers or other experts in this field, who will supervise their activity. The accounting, marketing, and advertising

costs will be covered or even offered free of charge by the ASEAM alumni community (since these are their areas of specialization).
