New projects, developments and innovations

Renovate or expand?

How to future-proof your garden centre without closing the doors

Expanding or renovating your garden centre can feel like a huge challenge. Will you have to close during construction? Is it worth the investment? Will customers experience inconvenience? The short answer: it's easier than you think. With smart planning, you can create more space, improve energy efficiency and enhance the shopping experience - all while staying open for business.

Another garden centre for Hageland

For Hageland, a well-known Norwegian chain consisting of more than 100 garden centres, we will build 1,200 m² of wide-span construction and renovate the main building of their garden centre. This time in Volda, a municipality in Norway.

Renovation garden centre Ruxley Manor

In January 2025, we will replace the roof of a canopy at the well-known Ruxley Manor Garden Centre. The old roof will be dismantled and replaced with new material to ensure a future-proof structure. Read our interview with Andrew Evans, managing director.

New colleague in our team

We are verry happy to welcome Paul van der Doef as the latest member of our team at Smiemans Projecten!
With his experience in glass construction, he strengthens our team and will make a significant contribution to our innovative glass constructions and international projects.

Christmas magic only or year-round appeal?

The best place for Christmas shopping is the garden centre, as the sales figures for garden centres show. Christmas is traditionally the strongest sales period, accounting for 25% to 40% of annual sales for most. The appeal of these shows attracts not only regular customers, but also many new visitors looking for specific Christmas products. How can you overcome the seasonal challenges so that you see these visitors all year round?

3,216 m2 Botanical glasshouse (SE)

For the famous Botanical Garden in Gothenburg, Sweden, we are going to build a new visitor centre and associated botanical greenhouses with a total surface area of ​​3,216 m². This project will be built in two phases. Together with main contractor Peab, we will start the first phase of construction in autumn 2024.

Versatile and valuable rooftop glasshouses

You see it more and more often, a rooftop greenhouse with a vegetable garden in it or a restaurant. Interest in rooftop glasshouses is growing rapidly, partly due to lack of space, demand for special bright spaces with the feel of the outdoors and the popularity of local food production in densely populated areas.

Job alert: Project Manager Engineering

Are you working in glass construction and looking for more challenge? Would you like to work in a close and friendly team with short lines of communication? At Smiemans Projecten B.V., we realise special international projects that challenge you to think further. From sale to completion, you are in charge. Are you the person who answers 'yes' to these questions? Then apply immediately!

Expansion garden centre LongAcres (UK)

At the beginning of 2025, Smiemans Projecten will expand the popular Longacres garden centre at Bagshot, England, with a larger cold sales area and a more spacious restaurant.

Design reception building WUR (NL)

Smiemans has been commissioned to work with the Bom Group (as main contractor) on the final design of the new reception building to be built for Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in Bleiswijk. Once this phase has been completed, the design will be implemented.

Iceland's largest garden centre opened

Last Friday, Gardheimar's new garden centre was officially opened. With temperatures around freezing, it was warm inside in terms of atmosphere and temperature. We are grateful for the opportunity to build this beautiful building. Glad to see it all comes together, now it's up and running.

Refurbishment garden centre RHS Garden Harlow Carr

On behalf of the RHS, we recently renovated the garden centre we built in 2004. This greenhouse for selling plants is located in the beautiful botanical garden 'RHS Garden Harlow Carr' in Harrogate (UK). The renovation was carried out in early 2024 by our local partner Ebtech Glasshouse Systems Ltd.

Realisation rooftop glasshouse for restaurant

A rooftop glasshouse will be built by us at the CHV Noordkade in Veghel (NL), a 1915 factory site that has become a vibrant centre for art, culture, food and leisure. This insulated structure will house a scenic restaurant. Completion is scheduled for early 2024.

Integration of Roll-Air Retail in Turn-Key Projects

After a number of successful turnkey garden centres, Smiemans and Rovero are teaming up to offer even more complete innovative garden centre projects! With the Roll-Air Retail integrated, the season for outdoor sales is extended and space is optimised for plants, customers and staff.

Another award for rooftop greenhouse Agrotopia, this time the BTTV

Once again Agrotopia has won a prestigious award. This time the first prize of the Benelux Trophy for Hot-dip Galvanisation in the Aesthetic Galvanisation category. Since its opening, the roof greenhouse has won several design awards, such as the WAF and the Belgian Construction Award.

Renovation garden centre Dvorak

In Czechia we have started with the renovation of garden centre Dvorak. The 1,400 m2 wide span structure was built by us in 2008. The roof, screens and ventilation windows will be replaced in order to better monitor and control the indoor climate in the garden centre.  This will result in further energy savings.

Completion first phase Plantorama Amager

The first phase for Plantorama Amager, building the new restaurant, has been completed. Now we have to wait before we can start with the second phase: the construction of the 5,000 m2 garden centre. The old garden centre will be demolished to make way for the new, larger and more sustainable building. The restaurant will then be connected to this new garden centre.

Progress new garden centre in Iceland

In Reykjavik the finishing touches are currently being made to close the construction wind- and watertight. 99% of the doors and window frames have been placed.

New restaurant & garden centre for Plantorama

The Danish chain Plantorama has once again commissioned us to rebuild the existing garden centre in Amager. First of all, a new restaurant is being built. After completion, the old garden centre will be demolished and the sustainable garden centre of 5,000 m² will be realized.

Expansion Tenterden garden centre

In collaboration with our partner Ebtech Glasshouse Systems, we are realizing the expansion of the Tenterden garden centre of the GrovesWell garden centres chain. The new entrance and an extra glass construction for sales will be realized at the beginning of 2023.