Joost Bakker’s Greenhouse has arrived in Sydney, and the result is the greenest, most sustainable eco-eatery yet.
February 10th, 2011
Having previously popped up in Melbourne and Perth, Greenhouse will now occupy the Circular Quay foreshore at Sydney’s Campbells Cove as an initiative of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority.
A self-sustaining bar/café and function centre, Greenhouse is a vehicle for builders, designers and the public to see recycled materials and sustainable building practices in action.
The installation is made from broken-down shipping containers and packing crates. Bakker has also used magnesium oxide cladding for the first time, a completely non-toxic, fire-resistant product used mainly in China, Thailand and the Middle East.
“It’s something I’m really excited about,” Bakker says.
“I’ve been wanting to use it for almost 5 years. It’s not available in Australia as it’s not certified, but it’s a completely recyclable product. It has 1% of the carbon footprint of cement sheet, and at the end you just crush it and it can be made into a sheet again. It’s an amazing material – it’s crazy that we don’t use it.”
Inside, the furniture, light fittings, glasses and even the staff uniforms are made from recyclable and recycled materials.
To avoid the wastage that comes with using bottles, all wine and beer on-premises is kegged, as is carbonated water for housemade tonic water and soda.
Milk is supplied direct from the farm in 20-litre buckets, to be made into yoghurt and cheese on-site.
Herbs and vegetables will be grown on the Greenhouse’s rooftop garden, and a worm farm will compost food scraps.
The building will be powered by a Bio-Pro generator converting the restaurant’s cooking oil into diesel.
Bakker hopes the project will resonate with all who experience it.
“In 5 years’ time I want to walk into a building that someone’s designed that’s 10 times better than this,” he says.
“I hope it inspires people to think creatively about the problems we have.”
Greenhouse by Joost
greenhousebyjoost.com
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
After 12 years in Alexandria, the design experts at Wilkhahn are making a move to not one but two new homes – a state of the art manufacturing facility in Riverwood, and an all new world class showroom in Surry Hills.
A designer collaboration at artisan during Brisbane Indesign
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
With Milan 2024 only a few weeks away, we sneak a view of some of the most exciting pieces set to go on show – from lighting design to furniture, here are nine preview products.
Dallas Rogers, Head of Urban Discipline at the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney, comments on the history of map-making in our cities.