ABSTRACT
Greenhouses are built for a variety of purposes, but in the first place, to provide a suitable environment for the intensive production of a variety of crops. This environment is provided for not only optimal plant growth but also efficient work or visits to be performed safely. Therefore, greenhouse structures and all parts are in the first place designed and built choosing a proper site and safely supporting all loads, including dead load, without exceeding the allowable stresses for the materials from which the greenhouse is constructed. The topic of load analyses and requirements for designing greenhouse structures and their components, however, is not the focus of this chapter; therefore, they are not dealt with in depth here. Rather, the readers are referred to NGMA Structural Design Manual (2004) for design loads and greenhouse structural designs. The manual provides guidelines for engineers through the building code provisions for production and commercial greenhouse structures. It includes the provisions for roof live load, snow load, wind loads, and seismic and collateral loads as contained in the building code or reference standards, and also provides structural design examples.
Overall, this chapter briefly covers site selection and layout as well as design loads for greenhouses, and then provides in order typical foundations and floors, framing materials and structural forms, covering materials, curtain systems, and concludes with insect screens.
