A Venlo greenhouse takes its shape from the gable roof that repeats across the bays, which gives a wide clear span and a large volume of air above the crop. This version is covered with PO (polyolefin) film held on an aluminium and hot-dip galvanized steel frame, so the structure carries the load and the film can be replaced on its own cycle. Gable spans run from 8 to 10.8 metres with a total height of 4 to 5.3 metres. Cooling and heating, ventilation, fertigation, irrigation and shading can all be fitted, and the house is often supplied together with hydroponic or drip growing lines for vegetables, herbs and flowers.
A Venlo greenhouse is built around one repeated shape: the gable roof. Because every bay carries the same roof form, the house can be widened one bay at a time and the interior stays free of posts across a long working span. Covered with PO film instead of glass, the same frame gives a grower most of the volume and light of a glass house at a lower material cost, and the film can be renewed without touching the steel.
The frame is made from hot-dip galvanized steel pipe with aluminium profiles along the glazing bars and a grooved channel that grips the covering so wind cannot work it loose. Gable spans run from 8 to 10.8 metres, with a total structure height of 4 to 5.3 metres, and the roof is a gable type throughout. PO film is a polyolefin cover: it transmits daylight across the crop, holds heat better than a single-layer film, and can be tensioned bay by bay. Because the film is a separate layer, it can be replaced on its own cycle while the frame stays in service.
Cooling and heating, ventilation, fertigation, irrigation and shading are all designed into the structure rather than added afterwards. Cooling is normally a wet curtain with fans at the opposite gable; venting can be roof windows, side vents or a combination; shading runs on rails under the gutter. On the growing side the house accepts drip lines, ebb and flood benches or full hydroponic channels, which is why it is often ordered as a package for vegetables, herbs and cut flowers.
Span, bay length, gutter height and the number of bays are set from your plot and crop. The covering can be single or double layer film with an air gap, and insulation can be added at the side walls. Foundation type is chosen for the ground: concrete strip, point footings or a ground anchor where frost depth is low. If you need a permanent structure for the same crop, the Venlo glass greenhouse uses the same roof geometry with a glazed covering.
Steel tube is roll formed and drilled to the drawing, then hot-dip galvanized before packing, so the corrosion protection is continuous rather than a painted edge. The structure is shipped as bundles and crates with an installation manual and a bill of materials, and our engineers can travel to site to guide assembly when the project calls for it. Many buyers start from the wider film greenhouse range and then add the watering package, such as a greenhouse irrigation system, at the same time. Structure references are published by NGMA, and trade coverage of commercial growing appears in HortWeek.
A Venlo house has a gable roof that repeats across connected bays, so the covered area can be widened without losing working space inside. A tunnel has a single arch and is normally one span wide. Venlo suits larger blocks of vegetables, herbs and flowers; tunnels suit smaller plots and seasonal crops.
Yes. The film is a separate covering held in the aluminium profiles and channel. It can be renewed bay by bay on its own cycle while the galvanized frame stays in service, which is one of the reasons PO film houses are chosen over glazed ones.
The hot-dip galvanized steel frame is designed for a 15-20 year service life in normal agricultural environments, with a double-sided zinc coating of 200-275 g/m². Film covers are replaced every 3-5 years, while glass and PC panels carry their own manufacturer warranties.
The hot-dip galvanized steel frame carries a 10-year structural warranty covering structural safety, plus a 5-year warranty against corrosion perforation. It is designed for a 15-20 year service life, and film covers carry a 3-5 year UV warranty depending on grade.
Send your plot size, crop, local climate and the systems you want inside the house. A sketch of the site or an existing layout drawing is enough to start; our engineers then return a quotation with a structure drawing and a bill of materials.
