Solar Greenhouse by IAAC master students is located in Collserola Park, a Spanish protected natural area located in the middle of one of the densest urban areas in Europe, the Barcelona metropolitan area.

The project is an advanced ecological greenhouse prototype built with natural KM.0 materials and digital construction techniques. It proposes a space for self-sufficient cultivation as a solution to produce food and energy in cities and move towards a Zero Emissions city model. This prototype can be scaled to be installed on city roofs and fight against possible food or energy crises in the future.
Solar Greenhouse by IAAC master students was born from research and the search for new ways to adapt to modern life and resist future food and energy crises, reinterpreting the way we cover our most basic social needs in a more ecological way.

The project proposes a space for self-sufficient cultivation as a solution to produce food and energy in cities and move towards the Zero Emissions city model proposed by the EU for 2050. The result is an advanced greenhouse that uses solar energy, sustainable materials, and advanced cultivation technology that can be installed in the field or on urban rooftops, effectively contributing to food self-sufficiency.

The impact of the production, processing, and distribution of food on the environment can be reduced with new solutions that bet on the cultivation of KM.0 and advanced agrological techniques. In this sense, the Solar Greenhouse is presented as the next step towards the transformation of this global condition, to propose a new, more efficient agricultural format, which could be applied both at the rural and urban levels in any part of the world.
 

Description of project by IAAC

A KM.0 project to reduce the ecological footprint.

From its construction to its final use, the Solar Greenhouse project responds to the km0 philosophy. Water, substrate, and building materials are obtained from the surroundings, while the food grown goes directly from production to consumption, bypassing the distribution chain.

The structure of the greenhouse has been built with pine from sustainable extraction, collected, and processed in the Valldaura area. The greenhouse also has a nutrient supply system that is distributed in storage tanks, nutrient inlets, and pipes to feed the plants. Furthermore, a matrix of LED light strips facilitates growth cycles with the help of Black Light.

The roof of the greenhouse has been created with glass and is arranged in a "diamond" shape to allow a total capture of sunlight, which enters directly into the solar panels and allows the plants grown inside to receive direct light.

The distribution consists of two floors. On the ground floor, there is an area for germination, while the crop is distributed on the upper level. The result is a considerable harvest that is achieved, among other things, thanks to advanced hydroponic techniques, which allow plants to grow without using agricultural land. In this case, the substrate of the planting beds contains recycled sawdust, a waste product from the Green Fab Lab, another of the IAAC laboratories in Valldaura.

The ultimate objective is that the knowledge and systems obtained locally can be applied on a global scale and, in this sense, the Solar Greenhouse is a valuable advance.

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Architectural firm
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IAAC. Lead architects.- Vicente Guallart, Daniel Ibañez.
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Project team Equipo de proyecto
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The students of the Masters programme in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities (MAEBB), 2020/21 class.- Bartłomiej Najman, Dafni Vakalopoulou, Rebecca Baierwick, Ignacio Reyes Solis, Paulina Sevilla, Yangchuan Tian, Fatemeh Nejatii, Marilia Sofia Fernández Lockwood, Amrithavarshini Prabhuram, Kevin Xi Lim, Akshay Sunil Mhamunkar, Mona El batrik, Engjëll Rodiqi, Philipp Wienkämper, Christa Hörburger. Project manager.- Ignacio Reyes Solis. Host.- Valldaura Labs of the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. Valldaura Management.- Laia Pifarré.

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Collaborators
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Sponsors.- Cricursa, Luz Negra, Tallfusta.
Support.- Cerdanyola del Vallès City Council.
Advise.- Miguel Urrestarazu, Oscar Rodriguez, Daniel Podmirseg, Oscar Aceves, Javier García-German, Miquel Rodriguez, Jochen Scheerer, Elena Orte, Guillermo Sevillano, Ignasi Caus. Assistants.-
Bruno Ganem, Marc Garcia, Gustavo Escudero.
Volunteer.- Diego Díaz.
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Client
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Natural Park of Collserola, Barcelona.
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Dates
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2021.
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Location
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Natural Park of Collserola, Barcelona. Spain.
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Photography
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Published on: February 25, 2022
Cite: "Experimenting new ways of agricultural production. Solar Greenhouse by IAAC" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/experimenting-new-ways-agricultural-production-solar-greenhouse-iaac> ISSN 1139-6415
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