Pilot project for self-sufficiency
Solar Greenhouse near Barcelona
© Adrià Goula
The Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) has been operating a research and teaching campus on a converted farm outside Barcelona for several years. Now the students have added a greenhouse to the property.
© Adrià Goula
At Valldaura Labs, IAAC faculty and students are developing models for future self-sufficient housing. The institute describes its new research facility – fittingly located on a 130-ha former farm in the Collserola Natural Park north of the Catalan metropolis – as a “testing ground allowing to learn directly from nature in order to apply this understanding to the regeneration of 21st century cities.”
In 2019, IAAC Director Vicente Guallart and his office renovated the semi-derelict 1888 building for IAAC. Today, it houses an Energy Lab, Food Lab, and Green Fab Lab, among others.
© Adrià Goula
The students took advantage of the steep slope of the hillside site to design an unconventional two-storey greenhouse. Seedlings are grown on shelving on the lower level and then moved to the upper floor, where the plants are brought to full maturity. When it came to sourcing building materials, the design team pursued a zero-kilometre strategy. The timber came from the forests in the farm’s immediate vicinity, while local businesses supplied glass and concrete (for the foundations).
© Adrià Goula
© Adrià Goula
The greenhouse’s monopitch roof is sloped asymmetrically to the south for optimal sunlight. Every other pane in the shingle-like, overlapping roof glazing is fitted with solar cells. They provide power for the LED black lights, which promote plant growth even at dusk. An automatic irrigation system provides food and water to the plant troughs. The planting substrate was also obtained according to the zero-waste principle. The plants do not take root in the soil but in sawdust, which is a waste product produced from the Fab Lab at Valldaura Labs.
A video shows the construction in time lapse.
Dies ist eine Bildunterschrift
Architecture: Masterklasse Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities (MAEBB), Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC)
Client: Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC)
Location: Ctra. BV-1415 (Horta-Cerdanyola), km 7, 08290, Barcelona (ES)
Management IAAC: Vicente Guallart, Daniel Ibañez
Project management: Ignacio Reyes Solis
Consulting: Miguel Urrestarazu, Oscar Rodriguez, Daniel Podmirseg, Oscar Aceves, Javier García-German, Miquel Rodriguez, Jochen Scheerer, Elena Orte, Guillermo Sevillano, Ignasi Caus
Sponsoring: Cricursa, Luz Negra, Tallfusta
Product manufacturer: Onyx Solar, Ritec, Alberch, Aluminios Ada
Gallery
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