Sheffield Winter Garden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sheffield Winter Garden |
|
|---|---|
Sheffield skyline by night as viewed from St Paul's Tower. View includes Mercure St Pauls Hotel, Sheffield Winter Garden, The Lyceum Theatre, The Crucible Theatre. Photo taken: June 2013.
|
|
| General information | |
| Type | Greenhouse |
| Location | Sheffield, England |
| Completed | 2003 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Timber (glulam) arches |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Pringle Richards Sharratt Architects |
| Structural engineer | Buro Happold |
| Services engineer | Buro Happold |
| Quantity surveyor | Sheffield City Council |
The Sheffield Winter Garden is a huge glass building in Sheffield, England. It's like a giant greenhouse, but for people to walk through! It's one of the biggest glasshouses built in the UK in the last 100 years. It's also the largest city glasshouse in all of Europe. Inside, you'll find over 2,000 different plants from all over the world. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened it on May 22, 2003.
Contents
Building the Winter Garden
The Winter Garden is part of a big project called the Heart of the City. This project cost about £120 million. It also created the beautiful Peace Gardens and the Millennium Galleries.
The Winter Garden was designed by special architects and engineers. It is about 70 meters (230 feet) long and 21 meters (69 feet) high. That's like a really long, tall building!
Smart Design for Plants
The building has a special heating system. It keeps the temperature at least 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit). This protects the plants from frost in winter.
The Winter Garden is one of the biggest buildings in the UK made with "Glulam." Glulam means "Glued Laminated Timber." It's made by gluing strips of wood together to create strong shapes. The wood used is Larch. Larch is a very strong type of wood. Over time, it will turn a pretty silvery-grey color.
The larch wood comes from forests that are managed in a sustainable way. This means new trees are planted to replace the ones that are cut down. The wood doesn't need any special chemicals or paints. This is good for the environment and keeps the plants safe.
How the Building Stays Cool and Warm
The building has a very smart computer system. This system is called a Building Management System. It controls fans and vents to make sure the plants are cool in summer. It also keeps them warm in winter. The system even "learns" how to do this better each year!
The plants inside are changed five times a year. This makes sure there's always something new and seasonal to see. All the plants are watered by hand, using a hose or a watering can. This way, each plant gets exactly the right amount of water it needs.
Awards and Recognition
The Sheffield Winter Garden has won many awards. These awards celebrate its amazing design and how it helps the city. Some of the awards include:
- The RICS Pro Yorkshire Award for Design & Innovation.
- The RIBA Award (which it won with the Millennium Galleries).
- Three gold awards from the European Federation of Interior Landscaping Groups.
- The Variety Club of Great Britain – Best Regeneration Award.
- The Royal Fine Art Commission 'Jeu D’esprit Building of the Year' Award.
- A commendation from the British Guild of Travel Writers.
- The Civic Trust Green Flag Award.
The Winter Garden also helped Sheffield win the European entente florale award in 2005.
