The US cannabis market reached a size of $10.8 billion in 2021, according to a study by Grand View Research . They also predict that the industry will reach $40 billion by 2030, which represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.9%. The growth of the cannabis industry can be attributed to two main factors: increasing medical applications and increasing legalization.
Indoor farming is a promising concept: crops can be grown in urban and suburban locations, bringing them closer to consumers. Cultivation operations can also be stacked vertically to utilize land more efficiently and crops can be completely isolated from pests. Cannabis growers can benefit from these features of indoor cultivation facilities.
Planning a cannabis cultivation facility? Get a professional MEP design.
However, indoor cannabis cultivation also brings technical challenges, as the grower must create an ideal indoor environment. Lighting, temperature and humidity must be carefully controlled to maximize yield and make the operation profitable. Here we will discuss three important design considerations before starting a cannabis cultivation facility.
1) Main decision: new installation or reuse of an existing building?
One of the first decisions before starting a cannabis cultivation operation is deciding between new construction or a repurposed building . As with many business decisions, each option has advantages and disadvantages.
The main advantage of a completely new facility is the ability to design a high-performance building envelope. Energy efficiency can save thousands of dollars on HVAC and humidity control every month; This is especially true in the cannabis industry, where you can't afford to shut down key systems. With the rising costs of electricity and natural gas, an efficient building envelope is an excellent investment.
The disadvantage of new construction is a higher initial investment, and you can reduce project costs by repurposing an existing building. However, this also means that the building envelope may not be ideal, increasing your electricity and gas bills.
- If you decide to start a cannabis cultivation operation in a repurposed building, you should contact a qualified technician. MEP engineering firm to obtain a professional inspection of the property.
- It's also recommended to get a structural assessment, to avoid buildings that will need expensive repairs or upgrades. Consider that an indoor grow operation involves adding mechanical equipment to existing structures.
Using a repurposed building for cannabis cultivation is feasible if you find a property with a suitable thermal envelope. On the other hand, if you use a building with poor insulation and air leakage problems, the initial costs can increase dramatically. These issues must be resolved upfront, or your cannabis cultivation facility may suffer from low yields and high energy costs.
2) Importance of HVAC Design in Cannabis Cultivation
A cannabis cultivation facility needs to control indoor temperature and humidity 24/7, otherwise you could suffer heavy losses – potential problems include poor plant quality, low yield and mold infestation. To ensure proper indoor conditions in your grow facility, a reliable and efficient HVAC installation is very important.
Because your facility will contain active plants, you will need additional systems beyond traditional HVAC equipment. This includes irrigation and carbon dioxide enrichment systems, along with the electrical and plumbing installations they require to function. As with any commercial building, a fire protection system will also be required.
3) Designing an ideal lighting system for growing cannabis
Growing cannabis not only requires temperature and humidity control, but also adequate lighting conditions. Consider that the lighting needs of plants are very different from those of humans:
- In most commercial buildings, the main purposes of the lighting system are visibility and decoration.
- A cannabis cultivation facility must have a lighting system that creates ideal conditions for plant growth.
When designing a lighting system for humans, performance is described in terms of lumens and luxes – total amount of light and light per square meter. In an indoor growing application, the lighting system must provide sufficient photosynthetically active radiation, or PAR. In simple terms, PAR can be described as the portion of light that is useful to organisms capable of photosynthesis.
Cannabis cultivation facilities often use a combination of HPS and LED lamps to achieve ideal lighting conditions. These grow lights must be selected according to the specific radiation needs of each crop (in this case, cannabis), and the luminaire distribution must ensure optimal coverage.
