The Winter Garden

One of the largest temperate glasshouses developed in the UK in the previous century has created a magnificent green paradise in the city's core. The Winter Garden, located near the Peace Gardens and the Millennium Galleries, offers tourists a one-of-a-kind experience in the city center. There are around 2,500 plants from all over the world in this spectacular exhibit. The structure is 70 meters long and 22 meters tall (big enough to fit 5,000 residential greenhouses!). It is one of the largest temperate glasshouses to be built in the UK during the last hundred years, and the largest urban glasshouse anywhere in Europe.

The structure has a minimum frost protection of 4 degrees Celsius and is one of the largest Glued Laminated Timber or "Glulam" structures in the UK (Glulam is made by forming and gluing strips of timber into specific shapes). The wood used is Larch, a long-lasting wood that will eventually develop a pale silvery grey color. Larch from sustainable forests does not require any preservatives or coatings. This decreases the usage of solvents while also avoiding the use of potentially harmful substances. It contains a sophisticated Building Management System that manages fans and vents to keep the plants cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The machine will "learn" over time. The bedding plants are changed five times a year to provide a seasonal variation, and all of the plants are watered using a hose or watering can, since this is the only way to ensure that all of the plants receive the proper quantity of water.

Location: Sheffield, England