Extend Your Summer with a Custom Greenhouse

Extend Your Summer

with a Custom Greenhouse

e earliest version of a greenhouse was thought to originate with Roman Emperor Tiberius (42 BC to 37 AD) Due to his love of and desire to eat cucumbers year-round, his gardeners developed beds mounted on wheels that they would move into the sun when possible, while on winter days they would place them under translucent covers made of selenite (a type of gypsum with a glassy appearance).

e production of largescale greenhouses only became possible a er the Industrial Revolution with the availability of massproduced glass sheets. Since then, they have been used to grow food and owers, forming a microclimate suitable for plant species even in places with severe climates. But in some cases, these arti cial growing conditions can also form interesting living spaces.

To summarize, the greenhouse is a structure with walls and roofs made mostly of transparent or translucent materials, such as glass, polycarbonate, plastic sheets, or fabric. Its operation is simple to understand: when sunlight enters the structure, it is absorbed by plants, soil, and any other surface or object, converted into infrared energy. e heat generated, in turn, is unable to leave the greenhouse

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as easily, forcing the warmer air to remain inside and thus providing adequate levels of heat and humidity to the plants.

Innovations involving such structures have developed over time and are widely seen in rural landscapes. In countries with colder climates, small greenhouses attached to residences are o en used as both places for growing plants and living spaces for the inhabitants. More common in the Nordic and lower countries, these small greenhouses are also used as dining and reading spaces.

Going back a few decades, in the 1970s, the Swedish architect Bengt Warne developed a concept that is still replicated in cold countries today. Called Naturhus, instead of converting an existing structure or creating annexes to an existing structure, it surrounded the entire building with a huge glass greenhouse. e greenhouse creates new intermediary spaces, formerly exterior, which allow for the cultivation of plants and occupation of spaces that are almost exterior but protected from the winds and rain. is is the main characteristic of greenhouses, a bu er between outside and inside, providing a freer life in the cold months and, especially, reducing the demand for heating indoor spaces, signi cantly reducing energy consumption. Greenhouses create spaces that are generally very simple and ooded with natural light. According to Lester van Ree, who developed comprehensive research on the topic, di erent bibliographic sources mention that the indoor climate of residential greenhouses is comfortable and that the air temperature will become approximately 3 to 5 ° C higher than that of the environment. In hotter months, this can become a problem. In fact, the biggest disadvantage when working with a greenhouse is the risk of overheating in the summer. If in winter the idea is to have a completely watertight structure, not allowing the heat to escape, in the summer openings located in the upper parts might provide air circulation and the expulsion of warmer air. However, the same author of the study mentions that, in the summer, it is possible for greenhouses to have lower temperatures than outside, if proper precautions for shading and ventilation are taken.

ere are currently several types of glass available that will block most infrared rays, allowing only sunlight to pass through. is new technology makes it possible to create completely glazed spaces while maintaining thermal comfort for the occupants and energy e ciency in the use of air conditioning.

ese new glass technologies allow us to think of greenhouses as a more plausible option or to create hybrid houses with closed and opaque areas and open and transparent areas. ere are already greenhouses equipped with sensors that autonomously control the opening of the windows and the exchange of heat and air to keep the interior temperature stable.

For more information on greenhouse design and installation on the coast contact EcoFab at info@ecofab.ca