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The ORA project: Turning school rooftops into living labs for sustainability

September 4th, 2026

One of Frederick University's rooftops in the Limassol campus has turned into a testbed for the ORA research project.

The green rooftop is setting the scene for the project's goal: to transform school rooftops into gardens and living learning environments by combining design research, smart monitoring technologies, urban agriculture, and educational innovation.

Coordinated by Frederick Research Center (FRC), the ORA project is implemented through a multidisciplinary collaboration: Dr Anna Merry Economou, head of the Spatial Design and Artefact Research Unit, Dr Giorgos Demetriou, head of the Robotics and Automated Systems Lab (RAS Lab) and Dr Nikoletta Christodoulou, head of the Grassroots Curriculum: Oral History and Forest Pedagogy Research Unit (ROOTS Lab).

The project explores how underutilised school rooftops can be transformed into smart, productive and creative spaces for learning and hands-on experiences, bringing together agriculture, technology, design and education.

To implement the interdisciplinary ORA – Opportunities through Rooftop Agriculture project, the Frederick Research Center is collaborating with Geoponiko Kentro G. Karaiskaki Ltd and P.C. Admin 22 Ltd.

Three research teams from the Frederick Research Center are contributing to the project:

Spatial Design & Artefact Research Unit (SpatialDAU), led by Dr Anna Merry Economou, focusing on spatial design, modular systems and participatory design.
Robotics and Automated Systems Lab (RAS Lab), led by Dr George Demetriou, member of the academic staff of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Informatics, focusing on robotics, autonomous systems, smart monitoring technologies, IoT sensors and automation.
ROOTS Lab, led by Dr Nicoleta Christodoulou, member of the academic staff of the Department of Education Sciences, focusing on educational innovation, curriculum development and participatory learning.

For more information, you can visit the project's official website here.

The project is implemented under the programme of social cohesion “THALIA 2021-2027” co-funded by the European Union, through Research and Innovation Foundation.