Underneath the cover of a dense forest canopy behind our office buildings on campus, there hides an old and forgotten greenhouse.

In summer, it is almost invisible from the forest edge, as it is completely overgrown by a wild and dense network of nettles, thistles and sprouting trees. It has been standing there for over 30 years, abandoned and forgotten, slowly deteriorating.

Inside, it is a terrible mess, and the greenhouse might seem totally lost for any purpose, just waiting year after year for its death sentence. The metal construction however perfectly survived the battle against time, and it is that unbeatable quality that will safe its life.

For our experiment this summer on the university campus, I was looking for a rain-out shelter to simulate extreme drought conditions. And despite its bad conditions, this greenhouse might perfectly fit those plans.

So next month, we will dismantle the structure and move it to our experimental field site. The content – a complete mess accumulated over 30 years of non-use – will be thrown away, as will be the useless remainders of the cover.

And then: a new life, a new beginning… and for me a perfect solution for my practical problem!