Why Width Matters: Greenhouse Space Efficiency
The uninterrupted 50’ span of our greenhouse results in greater square foot utilization than other facilities and limited redundant costs. In addition, while achieving a large span, our structure maintains its wind and snow load integrity. Let’s get into the finer points of why width matters.
Fewer Bays, Fewer Redundant Costs
While increasing your productive footprint, 50’ bays also reduce redundant costs associated with multiple 30’ bays. Each bay requires curtain systems, fans, wet wall and louvers, electrical wiring, fertigation system, and lighting; as well as, site prep and electrical work to accommodate each bay.
Site prep and electrical work alone is typically about a third of a total project cost and more hardware means more installation time. Requiring fewer bays, an ArchSolar greenhouse is able to reduce this cost by 20% while providing you with much higher overall square foot utilization.
High Efficiency Space Utilization
Typically, an ArchSolar greenhouse with 50’ bays results in 7-15% more productive space compared to a greenhouse with 30’ bays of the same footprint. Let’s run a brief comparison:
On the right you’ll see two greenhouse footprints with table layouts, both greenhouses are 15,000sf. After accounting for aisle space, the top model, a traditional greenhouse layout with five 30ft bays, allows for 11,250sf of table production space. That’s 75% space utilization.
The second model is based on a standard ArchSolar greenhouse with three 50ft bays. This layout yields 12,150sf of table production space which is 81% space utilization.
Of course, as a grower, the more growing space you have the more profitability your business has, so the ArchSolar greenhouse wins out as far as space utilization goes.
WIDE SPAN PLANTING! Less interruption from support columns and additional fixtures means more efficiency per square foot, higher dollar per gram.
x5 30ft bays of a traditional greenhouse model
3x 50ft ArchSolar greenhouse bays
Let’s take a deeper look at the financial impact
In the comparison, you see an 8% increase in production efficiency with the 50ft bays because you can achieve 900sf of additional table space within the same 15,000sf greenhouse footprint.
Let’s assume your greenhouse yields 1oz per squarefoot per harvest, you complete a reasonable 5 harvests per year, and you sell your product at a conservative $1000 per pound.
The financial impact of that 900sf of additional production space looks like this:
900sf x 1oz x 5 harvests = 281lb per year
That’s $281,250 additional revenue.
Not bad for the same greenhouse footprint, fewer redundant capital costs, and the reduced operating costs of an ArchSolar greenhouse. Compound all the benefits and you’re looking at a very compelling business plan for your grow.
