Cultivation of Function Models

Motivation and challenges

With the development of surfaces for vertical biological colonisation of mosses, the objective of the project offers new possibilities for greening in urban spaces. The final project challenges consist of identifying the cultivation strategies for the vertical colonisation of moss spores and/or moss fragments. Based on the successful cultivation methods for the natural substrates, in the last step, the experimental cultivation methods already identified are to be applied to the function models. Ensuring vitality and the best possible water and nutrient supply will be the focus of the analysis.

Project insight and perspectives

The function models will be given certain topologies (e.g. niches or groove structures) and inoculated with moss pores and moss fragments. In day-night test chambers, the inoculated substrate will be stored vertically under defined lighting scenarios and environmental conditions. The colonisation success – analogous to experiments using the natural substrates – will be determined gravimetrically and visually. Depending on the colonisation result, both the cultivation procedures and the design of the function model can be adjusted.