The service building of a greenhouse is the area next to the greenhouse in which the irrigation units and the boiler room are located. It is also the place for workers to have their breaks, there is place for offices and for packing and sorting the harvested produce. The size of the service-building is dependent on the scale of the greenhouse operation, the type of crop and the number of personnel.
Boiler Room
The boiler room is a crucial part of every greenhouse operation with a centralized heating system. Depending on the scale of the facility and de climatic requirements, a number of boilers are installed in the boiler room. In the case of the appliance of combined heat and power, the CHP units are also installed in this part of the greenhouse. In several countries, regulations demand a stand-alone boiler room, completely separated from the greenhouse to prevent possible fires. In most Dutch greenhouses, however, the boiler room is a separated room within the service building.
Irrigation Room
Next to the boiler room, the substrate room or irrigation room is one of the most important rooms in the greenhouse. It is here where the irrigation units are stalled, the nutrients are prepared and the fertilizers are stalled. Due to the importance of the boiler- and irrigation room, access is often only granted to trained employees.
Packing Hall
The packing hall is a large open area in which harvested produce can be graded, packed and be prepared for transport. On the other side, preparations are made here in respect to the operations in the greenhouse. In a tomato greenhouse for example, boxes or crates are folded are loaded on the harvesting trolleys and sent back to the workers in the growing area of the greenhouse.