ALTMARKT garten
― Symbiosis
↑ ALTMARKTgarten ― Courtesy of Kuehn Malvezzi
ALTMARKTgarten is a greenhouse, educational space and research lab in Oberhausen, Germany. Owned by the local municipality, the greenhouse sits above a public Job Center. The structure was built, fitted out, and is currently managed by specialist greenhouse suppliers Exner Grüne Technik GmbH (Exner). Their commitment extends for a minimum of a decade and includes not only structural maintenance but also the cultivation of crops within the greenhouse. The produce grown on location is distributed to a local network of municipal clients, including kindergartens, schools, and various restaurant outlets. Exner has implemented educational programs within the greenhouse operations. Guided tours are offered to the local community, schools, kindergartens, and those with a keen interest in food production processes. The initiative was conceived to familiarize community members with the cultivation process, thereby reintroducing a degree of agency into the community concerning food production.
The project serves as a typological experiment driven by underlying social, environmental, and technical philosophies. Both building and greenhouse are integrated both in form and in the mutually beneficial technical systems employed. It aims to explore how urban farming can be incorporated into city spaces and influence broader food systems should this typology be scaled up. The greenhouse comprises 1100m2 of growing space and a 160m2 lab facility used by the Fraunhofer Institute, an applied science research agency, to investigate the synergistic potential of incorporating building waste streams into the growing process. This integration allows for the reuse of wastewater and air from the office building to support greenhouse operations while creating a thermal buffer between the roof and exterior.
GROWING CYCLE
The 1100m2 area is partitioned into four specialized sections: a research zone, a salad cultivation area, a strawberry growth space, and a herb garden. Soil-filled pots are fed with nutrient-rich water and currently yield around 200 pots of herbs, deep-float hydroponic beds deliver 500 lettuce heads, and drip-fed strawberry racks produce 5 to 6 kilograms of strawberries on a weekly basis.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
The primary objective of integrating the greenhouse and office building is to utilise and discover opportunistic synergies between the office and vertical farming typologies.
The building employs an array of integrated control systems for light, mechanical, energy, and nutrient management, all of which interact to moderate energy efficiency and plant growth. An integrated ventilation system incorporates airflow from the office façade and exhaust through toilets, bathrooms, and kitchens, before being channelled centrally upwards into the greenhouses.
Rainwater and greywater are filtered and treated for reuse. Given the limitations on using black water for recycling, particularly due to the need for extensive filtration before use with consumable plants, these waste streams are not currently integrated into the building’s nutrient management systems. The Fraunhofer Institute is presently investigating waste streams from industry for the potential to harvest phosphorous as a nutrient feed for plants. This research is ongoing.
The greenhouse operates as a climate buffer, mitigating the need for extensive insulation at the roof level. This intermediate layer generates warm air, which may be harnessed in future at certain periods to reduce the building’s heating demand.
Further research is required to fully understand and optimise these integrated systems, including examining different lights, greenhouse materials, and greywater usage for irrigation.
WANT TO READ MORE?
Download the book and read the full version!
