Words by Smiley Team
Urban farms have loads of benefits: community development, education and reduced food miles, to name a few.
This innovative means of food production is still in its infancy in Europe, but Belgium just took a leap forward by building the continent’s largest urban greenhouse.
Named Agrotopia, the 9,500 M² construction sits on top of a cooperatively run fresh fruit and vegetable market in the city of Roeselare.
Architectural firms Meta Architectuurbureau and Van Bergen Kolpa Architecten designed Agrotopia so it would minimise the environmental impact of food production.
Rainwater runoff from the roof is stored in giant silos along the foot of the building and used to water the fruit and vegetables inside. Meanwhile, the greenhouse is heated using warmth from a nearby waste incinerator, in what the architects call a “"circular symbiosis with the city".
"Together with the clients, Inagro and REO Veiling, we have realised an ambitious building with numerous innovations," said Van Bergen Kolpa Architects director Jago van Bergen.
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"A single building featuring different climate zones, sustainable and economical use of space, research into leafy vegetables and fruit vegetables in the city, opening up the rooftop to a public function, circular use of space and energy, to name but a few."
Both the greenhouse and the market below are intended to bring city-dwellers closer to food production processes and make them more conscious of where their food comes from.
Inside, members of the public can discover how tomatoes, strawberries, lettuce and peppers are grown by walking along an educational trail that tours the building.
“We also want to use a visitor corridor in the greenhouse to give the general public a better understanding of greenhouse horticulture and contemporary agriculture and horticulture," explained Mia Demeulemeester, the CEO of the Flemish research institute for agriculture and horticulture, Inagro.
The greenhouse is part of the Flemish government’s programme to invest in innovative buildings that help overcome social challenges.
