The agri-industry is one of the largest industries in the Netherlands. Sizeable greenhouse-complexes take up a large part of the densely populated west of the country. At the same time, in this part of the Netherlands, there is a large shortage of building land for homes. Searching for solutions for this problem, a collective of town-planners, architects and greenhouse builders have made a proposal for City Fruitful.
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Two traditionally as monoculture designed areas, an estate and a greenhouse area, are integrated in one plan. Not only to reach an efficient usage of energy and space, but definitely also to design a high-quality living environment. The plan describes new culture techniques and the accompanying greenhouse forms. Within the town-planning concept these greenhouse types are combined with new housing types. This results in homes above culture-zones and orchards are planned as public green spaces.
Greenhouses are designed partly private in the form of conservatories
and partly public as winter garden or atrium. Home building and agri-culture
are both energy intensive functions that can profit from each other's
presence. Because of the mutual transfer of excess warmth energy, but
also because the greenhouses are ideal for the passive use of sun-energy.
Unfortunately it has remained a schematic study project. At this moment
the housing shortage is being taken on in a much less creative way with
a monoculture of similar environments.
jv