Designed by Daniel Schipper, this eco friendly greenhouse prototype promises a highly desirable solution for the urban gardener. I got in touch with Daniel, the Dutch designer driving this smart innovation.

"Greenhouses are cumbersome, heavy, not easy to handle, and garden-bound." Daniel shared. He added "I designed a light-weight, flexible, modular greenhouse especially suitable for small spaces like city houses, balconies, roof terraces or town gardens. My folding greenhouse is a frameless folding construction made of different components of recyclable plastic which can be folded flat or expand when required."

I love its original origami, modular style that can be folded together very easily. And I particularly like its eco credentials: It's made of polypropylene plastic, which is incredibly tough and uses very little energy to produce.

Daniel so far has designed a modular prototype for small outdoor spaces (see right). It stands 50 cm high, is 100 cm long and 40 cm wide. He has also designed a prototype for window boxes, which he intends to design in a modular fashion as well.

Daniel continues to perfect his prototype designs. “I have incorporated a door so you can access the plants. But I am also working on a new prototype in which you can "fold" the top back, either half way or full very easily. It’s a nice way to let fresh cool air in or you can you just fold it back and let your plants enjoy the sun.”

To get an expert's opinion, I invited Cesca the owner of The Urban Garden to comment. "I think Daniel's folding greenhouse is an eye-catching and innovative product and could certainly be a brilliant way of enabling city dwellers or those with limited outdoor space to experience the pleasure of growing their own vegetables, without taking on the commitment of an allotment."

With the expert thumbs up from Cesca, whose website is a treasure trove of urban garden delights, as well as my own intention to purchase, Daniel's next step is to find a smart manufacturer to put his design into mass production. His designs have already caught the attention of other bloggers, such as Treehugger, Greenupgrader, Designboom, Yanko Design and Ecolect, so I won't be surprised to see this on sale in the very near future. I certainly hope so, don't you?

To find out more about Daniel Schipper, check out his website where you'll discover some more innovative designs.