DTLS is excited to be involved in the Green House Venture (GHV), a non-profit, neighborhood-based effort to provide a hands-on bio-science learning experience for elementary students. Centered on food production, the project will address the science, health, community, and environmental aspects of producing food in an urban setting. It aims to establish a path for students to pursue careers in bio-science and related STEM and agricultural fields.

The GHV Campus is located in the heart of St. Louis, alongside Interstate Highway 44, at the northern edge of the City’s Historic Shaw Neighborhood.  The campus is made up of two components: the Embankment Greenway and the Education Center.

The Embankment Greenway, so-named because it is located on the south embankment of I-44, is a prototype for reimagining underutilized urban spaces as productive landscapes.  At its center is the 8,500 square-foot Terrace Garden, featuring multiple levels of raised beds where students grow, care for, and study a variety of food crops, including lesser-known native plants, like rock grapes, scarlet runner-berries, and paw paws.  Regular soil testing will allow researchers and students to gather valuable data regarding soil nutrients and roadside contaminants, providing insight as to the viability of such spaces for expanded agricultural production.

The Embankment Greenway is one of the first Midwest examples of an effort, undertaken in 2015 by the Federal Highway Administration, to introduce native plant communities as part of the long-term management plan for roadside areas.  The hope is these underutilized areas can provide much-needed habitat for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators necessary for large-scale agriculture.  Over three acres of prairie and savanna featuring about 30 native Missouri plant species are being established as part of the project, an area which spans the length of two city blocks along this urban highway corridor.

Facing the Embankment Greenway will be the new Education Center, a 9,000 square foot center for STEM learning to be shared by four area elementary schools in partnership with six universities, colleges, and extension services.  Inside, the facility will feature classroom, laboratory, kitchen, and event spaces, along with a greenhouse.  DTLS is engaged in the design of a roofdeck, courtyard, and adjacent spaces which will extend the curriculum to the outdoors.  Rooftop agriculture, vertical gardens, pollinator gardens, and rain gardens will feature prominently.  Construction of the Education Center is anticipated to begin in 2023.