Last updated: March 2025
The Growroom is a spherical urban garden made of plywood, designed as a temporary installation in Gdańsk’s Strzyża district. Originally created by Danish architects Sine Lindholm and Mads-Ulrik Husum, the structure was adapted for this location as part of a collaborative initiative. It provides a small, functional space where residents can plant and enjoy greenery within the city. In Gdańsk, the Growroom was used to cultivate flowers, herbs, and strawberries, with the plant selection curated by Joanna Paniec, a specialist in the city’s green initiatives. A central bench within the structure offers a simple resting spot for visitors. While visually appealing, the installation primarily served as a short-term experiment in integrating greenery into urban settings. The project was co-financed by the Danish Cultural Institute, the Danish Ministry of Culture, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Environmental Department of the Gdańsk City Office. It was brought to Gdańsk by the Polish foundation Kultura nad Kulturą and conceptualized by Agnieszka Wołodźko, a painter, exhibition curator, and author of the blog Pomiędzy sztuką a życiem. The installation was in place from [add dates if available], after which maintenance was handed over to the local community. The Growroom was not intended as a long-term urban feature but rather as a temporary initiative to explore the role of small-scale green spaces in cities. While it provided a brief opportunity for local engagement with urban gardening, it was ultimately a short-lived addition to the district. (1-4)
Spherical community garden in Gdansk
Ref. 3
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social interaction
- Sense of community and community engagement
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Agriculture/ crop production
- Rapid urbanization
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Poor community engagement
Key priorities
Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments)
Project objectives
Demonstrate ways to introduce more greenery into urban areas.
Offer a small-scale example of a peaceful environment where people could experience plants and nature.
Encourage local involvement in a shared green space.
Showcase how small urban gardens can support plant growth and urban gardening efforts. (1-4)
Implementation activities
The Growroom is built from plywood and designed to take up minimal space by arranging plants vertically. The Growroom is designed as a sphere, ensuring light and water can reach plants at every level through overlapping circles (1). District councilors and residents participated in planting flowers, herbs, and strawberries in the structure. The Growroom serves as a space for relaxation, where residents can enter, sit, and be surrounded by the scents and colors of plants, promoting well-being. The selection of plants was made by Joanna Paniec, the main specialist for the city's green brand in the City Brand Department of the Mayor's Office (4).The originators, together with the residents of the area, planted plants in the ball (some of them were purchased by the Gdańsk City Hall's Environmental Department). A bench was placed in the middle, thanks to which one can relax from the hustle and bustle of the city surrounded by greenery and pleasant, fruity and floral aromas. It will be looked after by the local community. (4).
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Non-government organisation/civil society
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Taskforce groups
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Citizen monitoring and review
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The Growroom was designed by Danish designers Sine Lindholm and Mads-Ulrik Husum in collaboration with SPACE10, IKEA’s experimental research and design office in Copenhagen. The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Danish Ministry of Culture, and the Department of the Environment of Gdansk co-financed the project. An NGO, Kultury nad Kulturą, organized and implemented the project, ensuring community involvement and managing events and activities. Joanna Paniec Paniec, the main specialist for the city's green brand in the City Brand Department of the Mayor’s Office in Gdańsk, contributed her expertise by designing the plantings. The community was able to participate in planting activities (1, 6).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation, Support from transitional governance actors
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Multilateral funds/international funding
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of goods
- Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Expected increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
- Expected increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Expected increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Expected improvement in people’s connection to nature
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Olszewska, M. (2021). Growroom – sferyczny ogród społeczny w Gdańsku. Mala Ojczyzna, Accessed on September 20, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Witkiewicz, A. (2021). Ogród społeczny na Placu Maczka. Strzyża, Accessed on September 20, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Niedzielak-Kowalska, A. (2021). Growroom. Sferyczny ogród stanął w Gdańsku. ELLE Decoration, Accessed on September 20, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Białas, K. (2021). Gdańsk: ustawili ogród w kształcie kuli. W środku rosną owoce i kwiaty. Accessed on September 20, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Urząd Miejski w Gdańsku (n.d.). Gdańskie dzielnice tu mieszkam tu działam STRZYŻA. Urząd Miejski w Gdańsku, Accessed on September 20, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Fundacja "Kultury ponad kulturą" (2020). Uwaga! Uwaga! Uruchamiamy nowy projekt pod nazwą GROWROOM.. Fundacja "Kultury ponad kulturą", Accessed on September 27, 2024, [Source link];
Spherical community garden in Gdansk
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Spherical community garden in Gdansk
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Growroom.
https://www.whitemad.pl/gdansk-ustawili-ogrod-w-ksztalcie-kuli-w-srodku-rosna-owoce-i-kwiaty/
Growroom.
https://www.whitemad.pl/gdansk-ustawili-ogrod-w-ksztalcie-kuli-w-srodku-rosna-owoce-i-kwiaty/
Growroom.
https://www.whitemad.pl/gdansk-ustawili-ogrod-w-ksztalcie-kuli-w-srodku-rosna-owoce-i-kwiaty/
Growroom.
https://www.whitemad.pl/gdansk-ustawili-ogrod-w-ksztalcie-kuli-w-srodku-rosna-owoce-i-kwiaty/
Growroom.
https://www.whitemad.pl/gdansk-ustawili-ogrod-w-ksztalcie-kuli-w-srodku-rosna-owoce-i-kwiaty/
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.