Greenhouse Canada

Features Efficiency Energy
GroDome facility focuses on energy efficiency

April 18, 2013  By Brandi Cowen


The 1,200 square metre facility at the University of Warwick's Coventry campus will be used by reseachers studying the science behind global food security. (Courtesy of Warwick University.)

The University of Warwick’s new phytobiology building in the United Kingdom is an ultra-modern controlled-environment greenhouse facility designed for efficiency and flexibility.

HorticultureWeek.co.uk reports:

 

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“The greenhouse’s squatness gives it an unusual appearance. A commercial glasshouse would normally be three metres taller to give a thermal buffer, but in this instance the curvature and deliberate low profile of the building actually help maintain the desired environments.”

 

Efficient facility features include:

 

  • A design that minimizes structures that can block incoming light
  • Insulating polycarbonate to reduce the heating demand
  • A heating system that can recover waste heat from the university’s combined heat and power plant
  • Fan coils around the internal perimeter of the structure to help maintain the desired temperatures
  • A building management system that monitors internal conditions and can automatically regulate conditions if set parameters are exceeded

 

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