In 2016, Green Lab launched a defining project in London’s Bermondsey — converting a disused primary school into the London’s first incubator for urban farming and agri-tech startups.

Created in partnership with regeneration charity 3Space, the 3,500 sqft lab was built entirely from reclaimed and salvaged materials, including theatre set components, decommissioned bioscience equipment, and art freight containers. The space embodied circular economy principles not just in concept, but in construction.

Green Lab provided a unique, affordable studio environment for sustainable food and material startups to experiment, collaborate, and grow. The facility included wet lab infrastructure, a bioscience lab, urban grow spaces, a fabrication workshop, and event and teaching areas — creating a hub where ideas could be taken from bench-scale experiments to real-world applications.

The lab focused on regenerative innovation across food systems and materials, with special attention to insects, algae, fungi, fermentation, hydroponics, aquaponics, and low-waste growing techniques. The goal was to support individuals and businesses in developing resilient, human-scale systems that could tackle food insecurity, climate impact, and urban resource challenges.

Over its four-year lifespan, Green Lab delivered significant real-world impact:

• Built four specialist labs: biomaterials, fabrication, food lab and biolab.
• Supported over 25 early-stage startups
• Helped raise more than $2 million in startup seed capital
• Delivered education programmes to 800+ KS2 & KS3 students
• Hosted 20 student research residencies.
• Collaborated with leading organisations including Coca-Cola, Seedlip, IKEA, Samsung, Nestlé, Barclays, and Diputación Provincial de Málaga
• Recognised with a HereEast ‘East London Innovator’ award

Startups joining Green Lab were offered bench space, tools, mentorship, and integration into a growing community of food system innovators. The lab became a meeting point for entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, and designers exploring the frontiers of sustainable urban living.

Founder Andrew Gregson, who previously co-founded Fab Lab London, was inspired by visits to Valldaura in Barcelona and Kew Gardens in London — spaces that champion self-sufficiency, systems thinking, and botanical knowledge.

“Green Lab was created to blend traditional agricultural wisdom with emerging technology … we built a place that invites experimentation, encourages play, and supports bold thinking around food, waste and circularity.”

More than just a space, Green Lab Bermondsey became a regenerative model – a proof of concept for how design, technology, and regenerative thinking can come together to shape a better urban future.