Location-Based Factors for Cannabis Facility Design
The number of U.S. states that are permitting recreational and medicinal marijuana production is increasing. Prospiant can help design and build your dream cannabis cultivation facility.
Something to consider is that location-based factors such as climate, proximity to populated areas, and land cost can make or break your cannabis business.
Proximity: to civilians and businesses that you will be working with can be important to decide where to build your cannabis cultivation business
Climate: such as rainfall, snow, amount of sunlight the area gets, and any other weather conditions that could be relevant
Land cost: if you want a plot of land that is far away from houses and the general population, that may come with higher operational costs
When entering the cannabis industry, an important consideration is the location specifics. Prospiant is here to help you throughout the process and help you make your decisions. We have cannabis cultivation consultants that are there to help and give advice to new growers in the cannabis industry. There are also cannabis staffing companies that you can go to to find staffing help for your facility if needed.
More Height, More Light
Our indoor plant cultivation facilities can be built as high as 26 feet (8 meters) high, which provides a natural heat buffer that protects the crop and will help increase production. Having a high ceiling in your cultivation facility design is important, though the amount of sunlight that your cannabis plants require will depend on their growth stage. Cannabis plants go through these four broad growth stages:
1. Germination stage: when the seeds sprout at 3-10 days
- Cannabis plants should be in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight or artificial lighting
2. Seedling stage: seedling grows at 2-3 weeks
- Around 16 hours of light a day indoors
3. Vegetative stage: seedling grows at 3-12 weeks
- 12-18 hours of light a day indoors
4. Flowering: buds/flowers through to harvest at 8-16 weeks
- 12 hours of light and 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness each day until ready to harvest
Knowing these stages and having your own temperature controls, manufacturing facilities can be operated with more ease and provide you with more and better quality cannabis.
Cannabis Flower Room Size and Operation
There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to your commercial cannabis cultivation facility or commercial grow room. Some cultivation businesses have failed because their layout is poorly designed. It is very important to make sure that everything is sized properly, that you have the proper HVAC system in place, security systems, and other components.
There are also multiple factors that can contribute to cultivation and processing facilities needing different customizations. If you have an existing building that you want to make into a cultivation facility, you will have different needs compared to a new facility. This is why using Prospiant can be beneficial for people getting into the cannabis industry because we have a facility plan for you and will put it into action.
A basic cultivation facility design can contain 8 or more individual flower rooms that can measure about 30 feet across and 50-100 feet long. With multiple individual flower rooms they can each have different environmental controls, pest management, and so on, which means you can test different ways of growing cannabis
Some additional factors need to be considered in your cannabis facility design support the flower room in operating.
- Environmental Controls: sensors that give the grower feedback on temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels
- Supplemental Lighting: a variety of different light fixture options to provide levels of photosynthetically active radiation for cannabis plants
- Benching: metal or plastic tiered benches to hold the cannabis plants that can be cost-effective and save space
- Water Management: use of a fertilizer injection system to increase yields and quality of the plants
- Light Management: blackout curtains and or shade cloth help regulate the light as well as control the light pollution
These are just some important considerations to think about when planning the size of your flower room and how it will operate.
No Substitute for a Strong Team
Our team consists of 30+ engineers in architectural, structural, environmental and mechanical systems, 16 electrical and mechanical system engineers, and 40+ OSHA 10/30-certified, full-time project managers on staff. Members of this staff can act as a cannabis cultivation consultant to new growers in the cannabis industry.
We have in-depth industry experience from the companies that have made Prospiant what it is today. With this experience, we’re able to provide you with the knowledge to stay ahead of regulatory and market trends, new processes, and the latest cultivation technologies.
Our team partners with yours to create an authentic partnership where we’ll hold up our promises of using our know-how to oversee your project end to end.
We’ve developed a model for us to follow in order to help you create and manage your cannabis cultivation facility. Our model includes the growing aspect of cannabis cultivation:
Growing
Design
Design and Consultations Services: Advisory and support services including: architectural design, engineering, design and planning, budgeting, and permitting
Build
- Greenhouse Structures: Complete design, engineering, supply and construction services, including: general contracting, site preparation, main external structures, benches and tables, racks and trays, roof glazing, ventilation, light abatement
- Growing Equipment: Critical equipment and systems enabling growing environments, including: dehumidification, heating, irrigation and fertigation, shades and curtains, electricals and wiring, grow gutters, drain water recirculation
Integrate
- Controls and Zoning Systems: Software and hardware systems used to monitor and control growing environments, including automation and controls, air ventilation and circulation, climate and environment, security and monitoring, hardware and software
Operate
- Operations and Maintenance: Products, services and equipment used in ongoing growing operations, including: aftermarket parts, consumables, maintenance, restoration, emergency repair
FAQs
What is a cannabis facility?
A cannabis facility is a cultivation space that is licensed to cultivate, prepare, package and sell cannabis to retail cannabis stores or to a cannabis product manufacturing facility.
How do you build a grow room?
To build a grow room you will need an area that can be light tight. There will also need to be space for necessary HVAC systems and lighting. Prospiant can supply everything you need to build a grow room, fully integrated and designed to meet your needs.