On June 20, an event was held to harvest potatoes grown by local residents and students in the concave rooftop rainwater garden of the SNU Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The 120-kilogram potatoes are planed to be donated to the elderly living alone in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, in the hopes of sharing the heartfelt support of the harvesting event participants.
 
The concave rooftop garden from where the potatoes were harvested have advantages that differ from those of anordinary rooftop greening process. The structure is designed to create a rim, erect a wall, and install a low-flow plate under the soil to keep rainwater collected for a longer period of time. Through this, rainwater runoff can be reduced to minimize the occurrence of floods, and low-flow rainwater can be used for crop growth to reduce water supply.

<The 7th SNU Potato Harvest Festival for Urban Farmers in the Rooftop Garden of Building 35> was organized by Professor Moo Young Han of the SNU Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and was co-supervised by the Gwanak Urban Agricultural Network (CEO Yeo Yeong-Ok), Seoul Gwanak Regional Self-Support Center, and the Dagyeong Flower Tea Institute. 35 local residents of Gwanak-gu, faculty members, SNU professors and 20 students gathered to harvest potatoes from the morning.
 
The concave rooftop garden of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has been open to local residents and students since 2013, and has been praised as a "meaningful place to strengthen ties between universities within regions and strengthen local communities while growing crops." The potatoes that were harvested for this festival were those that were planted in April this year, and through the help of rainwater provided by nature, they were the product of hard work and coalition between inexperienced students with faculty members or local residents who required an adequate space for farming.
 
Professor Moo Young Han of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who oversaw the entire process, said, "The concave rooftop rainwater garden has proven to reduce electricity prices, ease the heat island phenomena, temporarily keep rainwater down, and prevent floods." He further added that, "Unlike the existing gardens that rely on tap water, we have experienced easier maintenance and more successful growth of crops."
 
"These gardens have become spaces that not only save energy and water but also play a vital role in reviving the disappearing culture of interconnection between neighboring villages, and the rooftop has been changed to become part of an infrastructure that carries out the social responsibility of the region," he added, asking for attention to be turned to converting the rooftops of government-owned buildings, community centers, libraries and schools into concave rooftop rainwater gardens.