Greenhouse Construction Project

As a high-school graduation project, me and my dear friend Victor Hjalmarsson decided to build a greenhouse. Our decision was motivated by the good balance between artistic design, practical work and engineering that the project would provide. We initiated the project in the autumn of 2014 and would come to finish it in the spring of 2015. 

Project initialization

The starting point of our project was to agree on a design that both felt comfortable committing to. After inspecting and discussing a wide array of suggestions, we decided on an octagon shaped construction. We solidified the idea by producing a detailed 3D model that was in accordance with our preliminary sketches. This model reflected accurate dimensioning  - and was therefore used to generate drawings for the constituent components. We designed it in a modular way, meaning that it could be broken down into 18 subsections; a modeling decision would prove to be of substantial benefit in the assembling process. 

After we had finalized the drawings, it was time to lay the greenhouse’s concrete foundation. With winter approaching, time was running short to make the necessary ground work. We armed ourselves with an excavator and blunt confidence before proceeding with the appropriate foundational preparations. We crafted a wooden cast and enhanced it with tubes for electrical wiring before making the assembly and filling it with concrete. We make sure that no air was trapped in the cast by using a vibrating head. After giving the concrete some days to solidify, the foundation was complete and we could peacefully wait out the winter. 

During the following months, we directed our efforts toward the frames that would come to support the glass. Since we had opted for an octagon design, there were 16 segments to produce; 8 for the sides and 8 for the roof. To make things more complex, the unconventional angles of our design meant we needed to cut the material with a high level of precision. Moreover, since the greenhouse was reliant on a glue construction, the material facing the glass needed to to be chafed in order to make room for the glue. The complex machinery required was generously provided by the industrial department of our high school. We were given access to a circular saw, with two axes of adjustment. This equipment made easy work of our lengthy manufacturing requirements. 

Once the components had been constructed according to our drawings it was time to assemble the walls. We first assembled the 8 sections which would constitute the walls of our building. Rubber strips and metal angles were put in place before finally gluing the glass onto the structure. 

Once the glue had hardened (and spring had arrived) we started with the final assembly of our project. It was a surreal experience seeing the construction come together - and it was a great relief to finally see that the complicated cut for the roof was correctly performed. Once the roof sections were in place - we could finally mount the glass onto the roof. This was perhaps the most critical part of the project, as the glass had to be lifted to the correct position before being glued in place. All whilst ensuring that safety was not compromised. as it turns out, the stars were aligned and our final assembly turned out to be a huge success. 

The main parts of the project were now finalized and it was time to focus on some final touches. We drew in water and electricity, cut and placed a tile floor, made a crown (accompanied by an ugly flag with our initials) and we mounted spotlights in the bottom of the walls. This is what required us to put tubing in the cast before the winter. The lights could be connected to via an app (bottom right) and therefore be adjusted remotely. 

At this point we were both immensely proud. We had experienced the fulfillment of putting your heart and soul into a project - and slowly seeing it come to life. With the hard work behind us, and with a friendship tempered by collectively overcoming a substantial obstacle, we could sit back and admire the results . This was our gift to the world and it had given us a sense of accomplishment that would always stay with us.

Final result