Aluminium system.

Gutters and glazing bars that work as structure

In a Dutch greenhouse the aluminium is not just trim around the glass — it is working structure. The centrepiece is the aluminium gutter that runs between the trusses: erected together with the steel, it ties the frame together, carries the edges of the glass roof on either side, and simultaneously collects and discharges the rainwater running off the V-shaped roof. One extruded profile therefore does three jobs at once — structural member, glass support and water system — which is exactly the kind of integration that makes the whole system efficient.

The glazing bars do the same multi-tasking higher up. They hold the panes of glass across the roof, and where the ventilation windows sit they also form the frames of those opening lights, carrying the hardware that lets the vents swing open and shut. Rather than adding separate framing for glazing and separate framing for ventilation, the aluminium profile serves both purposes, keeping the roof light and the parts count low.

Aluminium is the right material for this because of where it sits and what it does. It is naturally corrosion-resistant in the warm, humid, often condensation-laden environment just under the glass, so it lasts the life of the greenhouse without the protection steel needs; it is light, which keeps loads down on the steel skeleton below; and it can be extruded into precise, complex profiles that combine several functions in a single section. Those properties are why aluminium and steel are paired the way they are — steel for the heavy structural skeleton, aluminium for the lightweight, weather-facing super-structure.

The result of this thinking — every profile made to do more than one thing — is a roof system that is light, strong, weathertight and cost-effective, and a large part of why the Dutch Venlo greenhouse became the world standard. DutchGreenhouses® engineers the aluminium system as an integral part of the structure, glazing and water strategy. Get in touch to discuss the construction of your greenhouse.