Oostnieuwkerksesteenweg, Roeselare, Belgium
The Belgium studio META architectuurbureau and Dutch office Van Bergen Kolpa Architecten have designed the rooftop greenhouse “Agrotopia,” delivering Europe’s largest public building dedicated to urban food production—a commission from the Flemish research institute for agriculture and horticulture, Inagro, and REO Veiling.
Won in a competition in 2015, the now completed Agrotopia is constructed and positioned on the roof of the REO Veiling headquarters: the logistic heart of West Flanders for fruit and vegetables.
With a spectacular view across the expansive landscape and the city, urban horticulture atop industrial rooftops is afforded a prominent place in Roeselare’s skyline.
In the 9,500 m2 building, high-tech research facilities for the cultivation of fruit and leafy vegetables are surrounded by an educational trail for the general public.
Agrotopia is a proud, transparent sculpture of steel and glass, which underscores both its agricultural and its public function.
To this end, the architecture is composed of a slender greenhouse construction that stands out against the sky and rests on the concrete base of the crate sheds.
The entrance, with a broad ascending staircase, leads to the urban horticulture square in the heart of the building where the visitor facilities are located.
A double-height greenhouse for innovative vertical cultivation can be found in the façade greenhouse along the ring road.
The foot of the latter stores the rainwater from the roof, which is then used to irrigate the crops.
Project: Agrotopia
Architects: META architectuurbureau bvba
Partner Architects: Van Bergen Kolpa Architecten
Structural/MEP Engineers: Tractebel Engineering
Greenhouse Engineers: Tractebel Engineering
Client: Inagro, REO Veiling
