V.3 Polydome Concept Overview Greenhouse Modules There are two categories of functions in the Polydome greenhouse: production and support. The primary role of production modules is the output of marketable products, though each one also plays a unique supporting role in the system. The support modules provide key functions to the greenhouse, such as pollination, pest control, or logistics management. Hydroponic Crops: • High profit, quick turnover crops consisting of greens, herbs, and strawberries. • Produces year-round. • Runs partially above the soil crops, providing additional vertical stacking. • Uses recirculated waste water effluent from the fish aquaculture system, which is monitored and supplemented with liquid nutrients from the compost module. Temperate Crops in Soil: • Consists of two sub-components: perennials and annuals. • The annual crop zone is operated yearround and provided with supplementary heat and lighting in winter months. • The perennial zone is chilled and allowed to go dormant in winter. • The perennial zone, which primarily consists of crops such as tree fruit, berries, and vegetables such as asparagus and artichoke, takes several years to reach full maturity. In that time, it is intercropped with annual crops to provide additional yields. Chickens: • Eggs and meat are sold as products. • Chickens provide extra CO2 and heat through vents connected to the main plant zone. • Chicken manure is collected to enrich compost. • For several months of the year, the chickens are given free access to the greenhouse to till soil and control pests. Mushrooms: • Cultivated in heavily shaded areas of the greenhouse (under rows of hydroponic beds and underneath trellised vines), mushrooms utilize an otherwise unusable space. • Year-round production of a high value crop. • Provide a large part of the supplemental CO2 needed to raise crop yields. Fish Aquaculture: • Very high production per m2 allows for a high output of product. • Wastewater is used as a primary nutrient input for the hydroponic crops. Bees: • Twenty hives are included in a special zone that can be opened either to the outside or inside of the greenhouse for pollination. • Honey can also be harvested from the hives once a year as a supplemental product. Vermiculture Compost: • Processes excess plant and animal wastes into usable compost. • Liquid extracts from this compost supplement the hydroponic production system. • Worms cultivated in the compost aerate the soil zones in the main greenhouse. • Provides extra CO2 and heat into the main plant zone. Support Crops: • Pest repelling crops and dynamic accumulators are interplanted with commercial crops. • The dynamic accumulators (comfrey, borage) enrich and activate compost. • The pest repelling crops reduce the need for other pest control measures. Plant Nursery: • Contains a germination zone with higher degrees of environmental control as well as an early-stage growth zone. Logistics Center: • A central area in the core of the greenhouse is used for crop collection, washing, and preparation for retail. • The hydroponics channels are uniquely designed to bring crops to a central work station as they mature, creating a central, social work environment. 22 Pagina 21

Pagina 23

Interactieve ejaarverslag, deze uitgave of onderwijscatalogus is levensecht online geplaatst met Online Touch en bied het digitaal publiceren van digi-presentaties.

473 Lees publicatie 163Home


You need flash player to view this online publication