AGROTOPIA
Europe’s largest roof greenhouse
Perfect marriage of horticulture and architecture
Europe’s largest roof greenhouse, the 9,000-m2 Agrotopia, is situated in a special location in Roeselaere, Belgium; on the roof of the REO Auction crate warehouse. It’s used by research and advice centre Inagro to conduct studies into the latest cultivation techniques in professional greenhouse horticulture and urban horticulture.
The energy-saving elements enable high light transmission and reduce energy consumption by around 47%.
Efficient use of space
The aluminium roofing and facade system supplied by BOAL divides the greenhouse into distinct sections, each with its own climate. We’re also trying to maximise the use of space, so cultivation up to a height of 10 metres is possible! The principle of ‘New Cultivation’ (‘Het Nieuwe Telen’) is applied to the climate control in some sections.
Energy saving
Holland Scherming installed double screen systems in the various sections that reduce heat loss and improve the climate for plants. These screens are composed of a combination of energy-saving and blackout screen cloths. The energy-saving elements enable high light transmission and reduce energy consumption by around 47%. The blackout elements allow the daylight hours to be manipulated, and light transmission to be attenuated. The aluminium in the screen fabric is an additional measure to reduce energy consumption even more.
Numerous awards
This special cultivation location has certainly caught plenty of attention. Agrotopia was recognised in a prestigious international architecture competition last year, when it won the top prize in the category ‘Completed Buildings: Production, energy and recycling’ at the World Architecture Festival in Lisbon. In addition, Agrotopia received an honourable mention for the ‘Best use of natural light’ prize, was shortlisted for the ‘Futureglass’ prize, and came second in the ‘World Building of the Year 2022’ category. The accolades didn’t end there. In the 2022 Steel Construction Competition, Agrotopia was crowned winner in the ‘Industrial buildings’ category.
About the project
Year
2021
Company
Agrotopia | Inagro
Location
Roeselaere | België
Type
Dakkas | onderzoekskas
Screen system
Double horizontal screens: energy saving and blackout. A section also has a sun protection screen.
Screen cloth
The screen cloths come from Phormium.
Construction
This project was carried out in collaboration with Deforche.
