Adriana Gahona
architect, naturalculture researcher, gardener · Floating Gardens Berlin
URBAN UTOPIA 2026
Floating Gardens Berlin: Regenerating urban biodiversity of semi-public places through connectivity
13:15 – 13:45 · Raum 5: Blauregen
Floating Gardens are an urban garden commons initiated out of a collective impulse of volunteers a year after Floating University opened the rainwater retention basin of Tempelhofer Feld for the public in 2018. The carefully curated plantings of Floating Gardens are shaped by the vegetation and pollinators inhabiting the site, connecting spatial experiments and visitors of Floating University with the rainwater pond ecosystem. What began as a group of leisure gardeners evolved into an eco-infrastructure for collective learning about biodiverse regeneration through urban botanical practice. Floating Gardens are an example of how collective engagement, long-term stewardship, and eco-caretaking in semi-public spaces can reconnect human-made environments with the living creatures inhabiting a place.
Was bedeutet die Verbindung zwischen Mensch und Pflanze für dich?
„For me, the relationship between humans and plants represents a connection of interdependence, care, and coexistence that goes beyond a purely utilitarian view of nature. Plants are living beings with which historical, cultural, and territorial bonds are forged. Our relationship with plants involves care and dedication that, in turn, allows us to preserve memories, knowledge, identities, and ways of inhabiting the land.“
Welche Pflanze inspiriert dich besonders?
„The bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is a plant that deeply inspires me, because it represents resilience, memory, and reciprocity. It is a seed that has historically accompanied the lives of many rural and Indigenous communities, adapting to different territories and farming practices. The bean, especially in Latin America, reflects a relationship of care and continuity across generations, as its conservation depends on the exchange, selection, and safeguarding carried out by those who cultivate the land. Beyond its nutritional value, it also symbolizes diversity, community, and the capacity to sustain life through everyday and collective practices. “