When thinking of a greenhouse in the United Kingdom, the production of date palms probably doesn’t come to mind. However, this is what a new greenhouse in Glastonbury, built by Bridge Greenhouse, will be used for.
Date Palm Developments produces high quality, virus-free date palms by tissue culture, which they then ship to farms all over the world, mainly the Middle East. In 2002 Bridge Greenhouses build their first greenhouse, which they have now outgrown. 20 metres next to the old greenhouse, a brand-new complex has arisen.
The office spaces: ready to move in
Multi-Compartmented Glasshouse
“The floor area of the glasshouse is 2,944 m2 and the height of the Venlo structure is 5.5 meters”, says David Summerfield of Bridge Greenhouses. “It is 40 metres long with 4 metre sections and 73.6 metres wide with 3.20 metre bays on lattices varying between 6.4 metres and 16 metres.”
Wooden cladding
There is standard glazing for the growing area and white glass for work areas and the corridor to help keep the temperature down in the summer. But the main eye-catcher is the insulated cladding with cedar facia for the offices, storage area and the plant room. “It looks really nice, we have not done that before”, says David. “The offices are quite large: 186 m2 in total. It is a 2-layer office with a canteen and welfare area on the ground floor and offices above on the mezzanine.”
Groundworks
A lot of groundworks were needed for this project, since it was a green field site in quite a remote area. “You will not find many greenhouses in the neighbourhood. The area had a major slope, which we had to cut and fill. Next to the permeable flooring for the greenhouse, the concrete for the boiler house, canteen, dispatch and fogging areas, we realised a very attractive block paving car parking area to the front of site.”
Technical specs
The greenhouse itself is equipped with container benching, an ebb and flood irrigation system with a UV sterilisation rig, and an ultrasonic fogging system in 2 areas. Full electrical installation with environmental control computer, HPS lights and LED lights, high level and under bench piped hot water heating system, double horizontal screens for black-out and shading, and vertical black-out screens will provide the perfect climate for the date palms.
For more information:
Bridge Greenhouses
+44 (0)1243 641789
www.bridgegreenhouses.co.uk
