Transsolar developed the climate concept for the green houses that surround the new Simonne-Mathieu Court designed by Marc Mimram. The tennis court offers 5000 seats and is surrounded by botanical glass houses, which are open to the public and are destined to house and display the horticultural collections of the city of Paris.
These glass houses accommodate plants from different climates: three will require a tropical climate – air temperature between 20 and 30°C, relative humidity between 80-90% – and one a desert climate with temperatures between 20 and 30°C but with a low relative humidity. To create these hygrothermal conditions and to reduce the energy consumption for heating as much as possible, the envelope of the glass houses was built with double glazing and external solar protection, controlled by the BMS depending on solar radiation on the facade. Finned tube radiators are used for heating.
The botanical gardens are naturally ventilated for fresh air circulation. The height difference and stack effect between the openings in the upper and lower parts of the facade ensure air change rates sufficient for the wellbeing of the plants as well as the visitors. The relative humidity in the tropical glass houses is maintained by misting water into the air, which will also create an evaporative cooling effect.