University of Twente inaugurates FieldLab as a living laboratory for climate, urban, and agricultural challenges

Weather and climate tower Photo: Rikkert Harink

(IN BRIEF) The University of Twente has opened its new FieldLab, a semi-controlled outdoor research and training facility that allows students, researchers, and societal partners to test solutions for climate change, urban resilience, and food security. Designed with sustainability and collaboration at its core, the FieldLab hosts over fifteen experiments, including ice preservation in mild winters, green roofs to cool cities, plant stress detection, and underground mapping with radar and AI. The facility was officially inaugurated on 2 October with demonstrations and tours, highlighting its role as a bridge between laboratory science and real-world complexity. Rector magnificus Tom Veldkamp emphasized its decade-long vision and collaborative creation, while the opening concluded with a symbolic experiment simulating a small earthquake through a collective jump.

(PRESS RELEASE) ENSCHEDE, 3-Oct-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — University of Twente (UT) has officially launched its new FieldLab on 2 October, a unique outdoor research and training environment where students, scientists, companies, and societal partners collaborate on pressing global challenges such as climate change, resilient cities, and sustainable food production.

Unlike traditional laboratories, the UT FieldLab bridges the gap between controlled experiments and the complexity of real-world conditions. Spread across a semi-controlled outdoor setting, the FieldLab offers space for testing, observation, and calibration, allowing researchers and industry to trial new technologies, methods, and instruments in practice. The facility was designed with sustainability in mind, built using circular materials and with input from vocational students in groundworks training, making it a collaborative project from its foundation.

“Dozens of partners helped bring the UT FieldLab to life, because there’s a genuine need for a place where you can measure, test, and try things out,” explained Professor Mark van der Meijde, who played a central role in developing the facility. “It’s an example of science, education, and society working hand in hand to create something that didn’t yet exist in the Netherlands.”

Greenhouse Photo: Rikkert Harink

Currently, more than fifteen experiments are already underway, covering both above- and below-ground research themes. These include:

Preserving natural ice: In collaboration with the Royal Dutch Skating Federation (KNSB), researchers are investigating ways to accelerate ice formation on natural rinks during mild winters, helping safeguard a cherished cultural tradition.

Cooling cities with green roofs and façades: Testing how vegetation reduces urban heat stress, improves water management, and boosts the efficiency of solar panels.

Smart plant monitoring: Using advanced sensors and aerial imaging to detect early signs of plant stress, enabling more efficient water use in agriculture.

Mapping the invisible subsurface: Deploying radar, acoustics, and AI to generate 3D images of underground cables and pipelines, reducing damage, costs, and excavation work.

Can we measure a small earthquake by jumping? Photo: Rikkert Harink

The official opening of the FieldLab featured guided tours of the site’s facilities, including a wind tunnel, climate tower, water basin, greenhouse, and rock garden. Partners such as Heijmans and KNMI expressed enthusiasm for future collaboration opportunities. Rector magnificus Tom Veldkamp addressed the audience, noting: “The FieldLab started as a vision over a decade ago: to create a space where controlled science meets the complexity of the environments we live in. With years of collaboration and dedication across faculties and external partners, we have made that vision a reality.”

The event concluded with a playful yet scientific demonstration: all attendees jumped simultaneously while sensors recorded the impact, testing whether their collective leap could simulate a small earthquake.

More information
Want to learn more about UT FieldLab? Head over to www.utwente.nl/utfieldlab to learn more.

R. Kwakman MSc (Robin)
Communication Advisor
+31634338422
r.kwakman@utwente.nl

SOURCE: University of Twente