Living in a Garden Oasis: The Delights and Surprises of Giant Greenhouse Living
1,839,105
Published 2021-06-01
This big greenhouse built around a house is the home for a family of 7
You're invited to explore this big greenhouse built around a house.
For more info visit www.kaseco.plus/en
Text provided by the owner/architect
The first autonomous bio-ecological greenhouse in Belgium
The Kaseco greenhouse ...
• is autonomous and energy-friendly
• is bio-ecological
• lives up to the cradle-to-cradleprinciples of circular construction
The principles behind the autonomous bio-ecological greenhouse
Our greenhouse is unique in living an autonomous life. As such it completely fits into the rapidly growing off-grid lifestyle in which we choose to be self-sufficient and independent from suppliers or gas, water and electricity connections.
Bio-ecology
Building according to bio-ecological principles we aim to use as many natural and cultivable construction materials as possible. Those have the advantage that they have unlimited supply and that their extraction process is less or not harmful to the environment. By building bio-ecologically we ensure more harmony between human and environment: a healthy mind in a healthy body can thrive fully in healthy surroundings.
Circular construction
We build according to circular economy principles, also called circular economy. That means that we do not exhaust any or the least possible raw material supplies and so we have to think about the choice of materials for the greenhouse from the start of construction. In the world of design and construction the German chemist Michael Braungart and the American architect William McDonough translated this principle to the cradle-to-cradle philosophy in which they chose to use materials that could be used again in the future for other projects without quality loss.
IS THE PURCHASE OF A GREENHOUSE MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE? ON THE CONTRARY ...
We made some calculations purely on the basis of the house itself (without the price of land). This way you can see that the greenhouse is barely more expensive than the classic compact house and that after a couple of years you have recuperated the additional charge. With the rising energy prices this recuperating effect is only accelerated. Even more so: it is the intention to create an energy surplus. Once in this situation we can reconnect to the network and offer this energy – preferably to the underprivileged or people who can use it best.
ISN’T THE GREENHOUSE TOO HOT IN SUMMER?
NOT WARMER THAN IN ANY OTHER HOUSE.
Yes, it will be hot in the greenhouse. But do not forget that we don’t live in the greenhouse, but in the house within the greenhouse – a remark we also make when being asked about the cold.
The greenhouse is ventilated by opening the ridges in combination with cooled air from Canadian wells under the ground. Like most people we stay outside in the shade or inside the house in the cooled space when it’s hot. The trick is to keep the doors and windows of the house closed so that the water pump can do its job. Furthermore we will sleep downstairs, in the rooms staying cool that way.
ISN’T THE GREENHOUSE TOO COLD IN WINTER? NOT AT ALL. REMEMBER: WE LIVE IN THE HOUSE, NOT IN THE GREENHOUSE.
Indeed, the greenhouse will mainly follow the outside temperature but, just like we emphasized when being asked about the heat: we live within the house, not within the greenhouse. The house itself is designed in such a way that it warms up very slowly and cools off very slowly. By the time the house is really cooled off, dawn breaks and we can enjoy the heat of the sun – even in winter.
What about hail or storm?
THE GLASS OF OUR GREENHOUSE HOUSE IS AS STRONG AS THE WINDSHIELD OF A CAR.
The roof is made of laminated glass. That is as strong as the windshield of a car. You have as much chance of breaking glass as you do with a car and it is very rare. The side walls are made of single glass, although the bottom two meters are tempered. The risks are no greater than breaking glass with your car or in your home.
Who does the window cleaning?
ONCE A YEAR, BY A SPECIALIZED COMPANY, WITH WATER
So many windows to patch, you might think. But don't compare the glass panes of the conservatory with, say, the window of your kitchen, which becomes damp or greasy with oils or grease. Of course, the glass walls gather dust and sometimes a leaf sticks to them or we are sometimes the target of a bird that gives everything free rein. Just like a car parked outside. That is why we have the conservatory and the glass thoroughly maintained once a year by a specialized company. Cleaning is done with water only.
For more info visit www.kaseco.plus/en
All Comments (21)
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What's your idea of rolling out the concept of "living in a greenhouse" on a larger scale, to make it available to more people? Would it benefit the inhabitants, society & not in the least, the environment?
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The only thing missing now is an extension added for a hydroponic garden so you can grow fresh veg's year round! As a horticulturist Ithis is my dream house,but I could see it being built about twice as big around the house itself in order to accommodate a vast collection of plants and tropicals!
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I love your house/greenhouse . My husband and I had this idea over 50 years ago . It was just never possible to do for cost and there were no materials like there is today . We thought it maybe was a silly idea building a house inside a greenhouse then , but you did it and it looks wonderful.
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I love this. When I was a young kid, my Grandma in Tennessee had a greenhouse off of the kitchen. It was awesome! We would be eating and she would go pick a couple of tomatoes and cucumbers or whatever. We would have it with our meal. I still can't eat store bought tomatoes. A fresh homegrown, perfect red, tomato sandwich was my favorite. This is my ultimate goal for my own home. This one is beautiful! I know in winter it keeps the house warm and saves a lot on heating bills. My goal is between greenhouse and solar power! Becoming more self sufficient. This is awesome!
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I have always wanted to live this way. I don’t understand why this isn’t the typical Canadian home, growing some of its own food year round. Or why we don’t have 4 or 6 houses with a shared greenhouse in the middle of them. Well done!
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I like. Since there’s a green house, I would definitely want a mango, orange, grapefruit, lemon, and lime tree, as well as a spot for a small vegetable garden.
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That is what I need to do so that I can insulate myself from my noisy neighbors and still enjoy my backyard.
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This is literally my dream house that I didn’t even know existed! This guy needs to start building houses like this for families. Imagine the impact. He could make such a huge difference in the 🌎. Now my question is; how much does all this cost? Looks super expensive
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omg to be rich!! Dreams coming true likt this!
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Imagine sitting outside your home (but inside a greenhouse) in the evening when there's a rolling thunder and light show to watch. Can't think of anything finer...
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thank you so much for showing this beautiful way of living climate friendly for our future generations on our planet earth
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Nice solution for this family. Evidently he has the resources to build that alternative home. It would have been interesting to learn how he keeps all those glass panels clean and how resistant they are to impact.
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This family never throws stones.
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This architect is a genius!!!! Excellent taste, fantastic design. I wish this type of building would be constructed all over the world. I wish him good luck. Beautiful I appreciate all the descriptions he throughly explained.
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If it reduces bugs annoying bugs like flies and mosquitoes, I'd never leave my home/yard.
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As someone who works with Schueco products alu glass projects, i can tell that pure alu glass winter garden type of constructions are insanely expensive. It's a high end product.
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An excellent concept. A client of mine wanted to build a restaurant in the middle of a greenhouse. I can direct him to this video.
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This is fabulous and would benefit people with illnesses that are affected by temperature, I would love to have that sort of temperature all year round as well as being more ecological. Awesome idea and beautiful design 😊👏🏻
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Love the house in a greenhouse idea, something I always imagined.
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The thought of living like this have hit me before so its really cool to see people that have actually gone through with it.
