GB2210076A

GB2210076A - Liftable glasshouse built into garage roof

Info

Publication number: GB2210076A
Application number: GB8722274A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Frederick John Johnson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-09-22
Filing date: 1987-09-22
Publication date: 1989-06-01
Anticipated expiration: 2007-09-22
Also published as: GB2210076B; GB8722274D0

Abstract

A glasshouse 3 comprises an upper transparent portion 4, which is built into the roof structure (5 Fig. 3) of a building 1 so as to project upwardly of the roof structure 5, and a lower portion 6 which is contained within the building 1. The lower portion 6 is movable from a raised normal "growing" position to a lowered "cultivation" position within the building 1. The building 1 may be a garage, preferably with a flat roof, with the lower portion 6 when in the raised position at a height sufficient to allow a car to be driven and parked beneath it. <IMAGE>

Description

"GLASSHOUSE CONSTRUCTION" The invention relates to constructions for use in the cultivation of plants and at least an upper portion of which comprises glass or other transparent material, for convenience such constructions being referred to herein as "glasshouses" which term whereused is to be construed as broadly as the context allows. Obvious, but non-limiting, examples of glass-houses are greenhouses and cold frames as used in horticulture.

Many city and urban dwellers would like to have a greenhouse, for example, but are unable to do so because of the absence or shortage of garden space. However, many such persons have a single-storey or free-standing garage and the invention enahles such a garage to be used as the site for a greenhouse, for example, whilst still fulfilling its intended function.

According to the invention a glasshouse comprises an upper transparent portion built into, or adapted to be built into, the roof structure of a building so as to project above the roof structure, and a lower portion which is contained within the building and is movable from a raised normal "growing" position to a lowered "cultivation" position. It will be appreciated that the invention is most conveniently applied to the siting of a glasshouse "within" a building having a flat roof, and it can be embodied in the original building construction or be an adaptation of an existing building.

It will be appreciated that as applied to siting of a greenhouse within the confines of a garage, for example, in the raised position the movable lower portion will be at a height adequate to allow a car to be driven beneath it. When the car is not occupying the garage the lower portion can be lowered to the cultivation position to allow cultivation of the greenhouse contents. Preferably such cultivation takes place with the cultivator standing on the floor of the building alongside the glasshouse, there desirably being a suitable working clearance all round the glasshouse within the building. With such an arrangement the lower portion need only drop down to an appropriate working level and does not have to drop down to the floor.

The glasshouse construction may be of any suitable type and any appropriate transparent material may be used for the upper portion, in general an aluminium alloy frame construction with glazed panels being preferred as in conventional greenhouse constructions. The lower portion may be mounted for movement in any suitable manner, either manual or power operation being suitable. Thus it may be mounted on guides for vertical movement between said raised and lowered positions, but in a preferred embodiment it is mounted on a counterbalanced parallel linkage in a cantilever fashion.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of glasshouse built into a flat-roofed garage building. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a front view of the garage with glasshouse built in; Fig. 2 is a similar view with the garage door open, showing the glasshouse in cultivation condition; and Fig. 3 illustrates diagrammatically the mounting of a lower portion of the glasshouse for movement between the normal growing position and the cultivation position.

As can be seen from Fig. 1, the garage building 1 is a flat-roofed construction with a front up-and-over type of door 2. The glasshouse 3 of the invention comprises an upper portion 4 disposed at a fixed level and projecting above the roof structure 5 (see Fig. 3) of the garage 1 into which it is firmly built. The portion 4 is a frame structure with transparent glazed panels, generally as commonly used for conventional free-standing greenhouses.

A lower portion 6 of the glasshouse is movable between a raised normal growing position, shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and a lowered cultivation position shown in broken lines. The garage door 2 is shown in open position in Fig. 2, and as can be seen the raised normal level of the lower glasshouse portion 6 is at a height "h" above the garage floor 7 adequate for the car which is to be garaged to be driven in and parked beneath it. Thus the garage is available to fulfil its normal function.

However, with the car out of the garage, the lower portion 6 of the glasshouse 3 can be moved to its lowered position at a suitable height for a person standing alongside it on the garage floor to cultivate and otherwise tend to the plants in the lower portion 6. There is an adequate working space left all round the portion 6 within the garage 1 for comfortable cultivation, and it will be appreciated that the glasshouse 3 is positioned far enough from the front of the garage to allow the door 2 to open.

If a larger glasshouse is required a different form of garage door can be used which does not occupy so much space within the garage when open.

As the person doing the cultivation does not enter the lower portion 6 the whole plan area thereof is available for cultivation, as compared with a conventional greenhouse in which a central walkway has to be left free.

Thus a glasshouse 3 of given size provides an unusually large area for cultivation.

Various movement arrangements, either manually or power operated, can be employed for the lower portion 6.

Fig. 3 illustrates diagrammatically one such arrangement, with the portion 6 mounted cantilever fashion at the end of a parallel linkage which is suitably counterbalanced. The counterbalancing, which is not illustrated, may be by way of torsion springs, tension springs, gas springs or other known counterbalancing elements. The linkage 7 is mounted at one side of the garage 1, or alternatively at the rear end thereof, being sufficiently long for the portion 6 to be easily movable over an arcuate path which provides close to a vertical movement.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A glasshouse comprising an upper transparent portion built into, or adapted to be built into, the roof structure of a building so as to project upwardly of that roof structure, and a lower portion which is contained within the building and is movable from a raised normal "growing" position to a lowered "cultivation" position.

2. A glasshouse according to claim 1, wherein said roof structure provides a flat roof for the building.

3. A glasshouse according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein it represents an adaptation of an existing building.

4. A glasshouse according to any one of the preceding claims whereas it is sited within the confines of a garage and, when in said raised position, the movable lower portion is at a height adequate to allow a car to be driven and parked beneath it.

5. A glasshouse according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the movable lower portion when in said lowered position is at a height such that cultivation takes place with the cultivator standing on the floor of the building alongside the glasshouse.

6. A glasshouse according to claim 5, wherein when the movable lower portion is in said lowered position there is a working clearance, available for cultivation purposes, all round the glasshouse within the building.

7. A glasshouse according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the movable lower portion drops down to an appropriate working level at said lowered position in which it is above the floor of the building.

8. A glasshouse according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper portion employs an aluminium alloy frame construction with glazed panels as in a conventional greenhouse construction.

9. A glasshouse according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lower portion is mounted for movement manually between said raised and lowered positions.

10. A glasshouse according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the lower portion is mounted for power-operated movement between said raised and lowered positions.

11. A glasshouse according to any one of the preceding claims1 wherein the lower portion is mounted on guides for vertical movement between said raised and lowered positions.

12. A glasshouse according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the lower portion is mounted on a counterbalanced parallel linkage, in a cantilever fashion, for movement between said raised and lowered positions.

13. A glasshouse constructed and arranged substantially as herein particularly described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, or Figs. 1, 2 and 3, of the accompanying drawings.