Space Planning: Assessment of Sub-project
1.General legal bases
See https://bravors.brandenburg.de/de/gesetze-212898.
2.Everything regarding the overall project, structures, and infrastructure
1.Residential buildings
1.Buildings and Agriculture – General
At edufarm those buildings should ideally be shielded from potential disturbances associated with agriculture: noise, odors, waste and unsightly views. They also should be a retreat for residents and guests.
Plastic elements (netting, fleece, polytunnels), Machinery in operation, People at work and Visitors should also be the least visible.
2.Details regarding the expansive view
1.Agroforestry strips
Strips of shrubs and trees are acceptable in North-South orientation. There are no height restrictions (since they are narrow strips, not broad areas) and we will position them close to buildings only where no machinery or human activity is visible.
2.East-West oriented hedges (to act as windbreaks and screen vegetable beds).
These hedges should not obstruct expansive views and they should ideally rise slightly towards the background (to create a sense of depth and distance) but not obscure the forest at the very back (which represents the highest and most distant point). The height of the hedges will be arranged once they are growing.
3.Building Content
At Edufram, residential buildings must include event spaces to accommodate events and dinners for up to 50 people and be able to provide living space for several user groups: Short-term guests or day visitors: for a maximum of 10–20 (?) people, some apartments for families, regular overnight accommodation and, if applicable, living space for staff (permanent employees, interns, volunteers in the Voluntary Ecological Year program).
2.Utility buildings
1.Key criteria
These buildings should be 26 x 19 m according to the current design, should feature a loading ramp for vegetable crates on one side and must provide sufficient space for all operational areas/sub-projects.
2.Nice as a bonus
These buildings could have an orientation aligned with solar exposure for maximum energy efficiency, have good insulation to buffer internal and external temperatures and be orientated and placed so that they can provide a pleasant view of the façade from the residential building.
3.Paths criteria
Service road and main paths in the north should be wide enough for trucks and tractors (plus a parked car alongside). Edufarm also thought possible to have turning circles for delivery traffic. Indeed Turning circle for fire trucks at the end of the greenhouses can be very useful (the path must be "surfaced" up to this point).
Another criteria to the path-building is to physically separate paths for regular visitors and pedestrian groups from paths used by tractors, machinery, etc.
4. Water concept and topography
5.Plot widths
to be completed
6.Shelter and annexes
to be completed
7.Fence
See Brandenburg Neighbor Law.
The fence may be situated on the property boundary. A criteria will also be local nature conservation authority: fence permitted provided the land is under agricultural/commercial use.
Another criteria is the Vole barrier: vegetation directly along the fence should be easy to keep short: sufficient space should be left for a mower and potential specific mowing requirements if a conservation hedge is present (mowing permitted only with a sickle-bar mower).
8.Areas for deliveries and storage
1.Key criteria
Important is to think of Minimum size for storage areas (in the north): of which covered ans of which uncovered.
2.Not essential, but a nice bonus
Adding unloading areas in the south or in the center of the site could be very useful. At the far south end, access could also possible via a path on the east side.
3.Sub-projects
1.Vegetables
1.Greenhouses & propagation greenhouse
1.Key criteria
Distance between greenhouses in the east-west direction should be at least 2 m and not directly visible from the residential building. Dimensions of the 10 greenhouses will be 12 m wide x 50 m long. 1 of these greenhouses will serve as a propagation greenhouse.
Distances between them and to the utility building should be minimized (they should not be positioned too far south). Specifically, the distance between greenhouses in the north-south direction should at least be 6–7 m, ideally 15–20 m.
2.Not essential, but a nice bonus
The distance to the water surface in the center should be sufficient to allow a biotope to develop around it (at least 20–30 m between the greenhouse and the water, including a tractor path).
2.Vegetable plots / field-grown vegetables
Dimensions of vegetable blocks in the north: 18.4 x 45 m. This is sufficient for 20 vegetable blocks (16,560 m²).
Dimensions of vegetable blocks in the south: 18.4 x 95 m. This is sufficient for 8 blocks (13,248 m²).
Spacing should between aligned vegetable blocks be at leats 10 m, between staggered vegetable blocks in the south at least 15 m (Blocks must be as “straight” as possible).
2.Agroforestry
1.Legal Basis
See Brandenburg Neighbour law, the following values apply regarding the distance of trees, shrubs, and hedges from the boundary of agricultural holdings:
Fruit trees: 4 m, other trees: 8 m, and in all other cases (including hedges and shrubs over 2 m in height): at least ⅔ of the height above ground level.
Measurement of distance for trees: from the center of the trunk above ground level. In all other cases (including hedges and shrubs over 2 m): “measured from the outermost point of the planting closest to the boundary.”
2.Funding guidelines
For the combination of investment support and agricultural subsidy applications (specifically ÖR3) several points are important:
- The distance between agroforestry strips and hedges or other agroforestry strips should be 20 m and no required distance from the field edge.
- Measurement points (MLUK): strip width (maximum crown diameter) and strip spacing (between strips and relative to hedges) is measured from the outermost edge of the strip (at the point where the two strips are closest to each other). Ploughing or sowing is not permitted within the "woody strip" itself.
- The required distance applies only to the majority of the strip's length.
- Dimensions should have a maximum width of 25 m along the majority of the length and continuously planted strips (adhering to recommended planting distances)
- Number/Area: minimum of 2 strips per agroforestry system; combined area of all strips: maximum 40% of the applied-for parcel (multiple parcels per area are permitted).
All of the funding guidelines should also be combinable with: Basic support, redistributive payment, ÖR 6.
