GROOF - Greenhouses to Reduce CO2 on Roofs

Groof Coaching

5 Rooftop Greenhouse Projects coached by GROOF until June 2021

Among the 10 projects coached since 2019, the jury of the Groof project has selected 5 pioneer projects for the second phase of coaching in the implementation of their rooftop greenhouse. The partners of the Groof project, European experts in construction, energy, production and business, will extend their individual coaching in Belgium and France until June 2021.

Through several thematic days and individual coaching sessions, this coaching enables project leaders to anticipate production and construction in order to avoid certain additional costs, to discover a variety of economic models and activities, to network and develop partnerships, or to settle down in a given territory by including stakeholders from the very beginning of the project design.

10 projects coached since 2019

From September 2019 to September 2020, Groof has already supported 10 rooftop greenhouse projects for a total of 175 hours of individual coaching and 5 on-site visits to help them build, develop and implement their project. These projects bring together different greenhouse techniques (hydroponic greenhouses, aquaponics, soil-based vegetable gardens, etc.) as well as different types of projects (educational, social, private, etc.) but all of them focus on ecology and the respect for
environmental values.

DISCOVER THE EARLY ADOPTERS - PROJECTS COACHED BY GROOF

GROOF expertise

• Construction;

Knowledge and expertise in construction design, stability, materials, technical assessment, calculation, risk analysis. Specialties in roofing and structure. Knowledge in material behaviour and innovative combination. Skills in technical project analysis.

• Energy;

Analysis of the energy flows of the existing building and the project itself, counselling for techniques and measurements to reduce energy demand and implement existing flows to reduce CO2 emissions.

• Production;

The plant production expertise consists both in the design of plant production system and the management of the production. This includes knowledge in growing system, plant nutrition, light, pest and disease management, practical organisation of the work.

• Economic viability;

Emphasis on the viability and durability of the candidates’ project, with the respect of the candidates’ vision. This includes: the stakeholders, the cultural & geographical specificities, the social & environmental involvement, the competition, etc.

Four Pilot Projects

The GROOF project is investing in four pilots, designed to prove the effectiveness and durability of the models related to different building types, in Belgium, Germany, France and in Luxembourg.

Read more on each project below.

→ Fermes de Gally - Pilot

Paris, France

Urban roofs remain a little exploited space on which agriculture can develop and provide sustainable solutions to food, economic and climate issues in the city. A new stage in this urban agricultural development is therefore to create greenhouses on the roof that are totally integrated into the building's flow: in particular heat, water and CO₂.
In this context, our greenhouse project on the roof of the Ferme Urbaine de St Denis consists of the construction and operation of a productive vegetable garden of 360 m² on the roof of the office and workshop building of the Ferme de St Denis, an urban farm run by les Fermes de Gally. This project will produce hydroponic and substrate agricultural products sold locally, in addition to farm production in the ground.
The greenhouse will have to work in synergy with the support building. Its location on the roof offers the advantage of enhancing the flat roof surface and thus preserve the floor space for the activities of the Kersanté Farm of St Denis (FKSD in the following). This feature will also allow it to easily connect to the heating and ventilation network of the building to recover heat and CO₂, contained in the stale air, necessary for the cultivation of plants.

Follow the project of Construction21: Ferme de Gally - FRANCE

→ Université de Liège - Pilot

Gembloux, Belgium

The urban greenhouse of the TERRA building is part of the WASABI platform which brings together in one location all the innovative agricultural production systems adapted to the city and in dialogue with biodiversity. The platform and the urban greenhouse is an institutional project supported by Gembloux Agro Bio-Tech and ULiège.

The urban greenhouse will have an area of ​​198m² and will be divided into three compartments dedicated to research, teaching and demonstration of innovative systems adapted to urban agriculture. The main compartment (132 m²) will be dedicated to research only and will host experiments related to urban agriculture (hydroponics, aquaponics and bio-ponics). The second compartment will be dedicated to the demonstration and experimentation of innovative systems, both for students and for other publics. The third compartment will be used as technical hall. The greenhouse will reproduce conditions suitable for temperate crops such as lettuce and tomato. This greenhouse will be characterized by an accurate climate control, the production system will be modular in order to grow different crops.

Follow the project of Construction21: Université de Liège - BELGIUM

→ EBF - pilot

Bürstadt, Germany

The ebf pilot is a Sunlight greenhouse, which is a modern approach to the classical lean-to concept. It is a greenhouse which is focused on minimal energy demand and utilizing existing energy flows to achieve a year-round operation. In combination with an internally mounted photovoltaic shadowing system, the greenhouse is becoming the worlds first plus energy greenhouse.

The pilot will be installed on an old packaging hall of a former nursery which is now being reinstated by ebf to show how a futureproof and sustainable horticulture business can look like. It will unite modern plant production technics with a social aspect of creating a community starting from an early age. The rooftop greenhouse will be implemented in the whole operation harboring specialized plants like chili peppers which can be harvested all year. Furthermore, the schools and kindergardens of the surrounding area will participate in the operation. Here, they have the possibility to learn and share the knowledge for food production. This gives the opportunity to help people reconnect with food production and give them back the responsibilty for their own food security.

Follow the project of Construction21: EBF - GERMANY

→ SOTA - Pilot

Bettembourg, Luxembourg

The IFSB pilot project will be installed on the extension of its company restaurant. The size of the greenhouse will be 18 x 20 m. The rooftop greenhouse will be located near the training site and will house plants that can be used directly in the restaurant below.

Here, the idea is to integrate a food production greenhouse above a restaurant. A reconnection between local food production and people in order to raise awareness about their food. In addition, a corridor will allow visibility over the production area without disturbing it.

The connection to the building to recover CO₂ and heat makes sense for the construction sector. Indeed, this sector in Luxembourg will thus be able to have a project integrated into the building allowing a recovery of CO2, a future challenge for this sector.

Follow the project of Construction21: SOTA- LUXEMBOURG

Groof Partners

GROOF project is coordinated by the CDEC (Conseil pour le Développement Economique de la Construction), with the support of the INTERREG NWE programme, and carried out with eleven partners (public and private) from Luxembourg, France, Belgium, Germany and Spain.

Each partner brings valuable skills and knowledge to the project such as construction process and methodology, building energy management, urban agriculture development, knowledge of plants and cropping systems, entrepreneurial skills, socio-economic skills, etc.

Find the partners interviews here.

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