Stand-Alone Industrial Vertical Greenhouse

Stand-alone greenhouse - a building exclusively dedicated to the industrial production of food, infrastructurally integrated with other functions/building in the urban environment.

Design: 

The main principle is to shape the outer glazed shell as the easiest envelop to wrap the helix (a truncated cone) extending it to the ground (functional base, truncated cone) and completing it with the functional tower avoiding double-curved surfaces (service tower).

The whole industrial process is located in the ground floor together with the basic functions for visitors/users and with the technical spaces.

The service tower (completely destined to the service) is integrated in the spheroid as a sector on the north side. It is physically connected to the helix on all levels for the inspection of the crops and service access.

Model A is based on the following properties:

• Helix:
  • Circular footprint
  • Conical helix with Leaning extrusion’s axis
  • Continuous loops
     
• Building shaped as a truncated cone.
   
• Envelope/shell: Two different versions of model A have been developed considering two different solutions for the glazed shell:
  • A self-bearing 3D structural truss (with a depth of 2 m) used with glazing or ETFE cushions (A1);
  • A curtain wall façade supported by the main structure used with glazing (A2)