Facility Design

WAN Awards 2026 Future Projects for desert growing project

Grownetics

06 May 2026 — 1 min read

WAN Awards 2026 Future Projects for desert growing project Thanks! A network of greenhouses and vertical farm systems, the complex produces 2,500 metric tons of food annually and shows how a building can operate as infrastructure and civic architecture.

© Andre Kikoski Architecture "Thank you World Architecture News | World Interiors News for recognizing our work to transform the built environment through regenerative agriculture in extreme climates, and to our collaborators for making this possible," said Andre Kikoski, Principal, Andre Kikoski Architecture.

Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?

Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.

What is the operator takeaway from this trial?

If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.

"Your biggest long-term cost driver is decided before construction begins"

Source: VFD.com Harvest Panel Systems, which manufactures and installs insulated metal panels for controlled environment facilities, used its presentation at the CEA and Indoor Farming conference to argue that the materials chosen at the design phase determine a facility's energy costs more than any subsequent operational decision.

CEA Alliance pushes for greenhouse exemption in US-Mexico tomato tariff review

Source: VFD.com Controlled Environment Agriculture Alliance Executive Director Tom Stenzel says greenhouse-grown tomatoes should not be in the same category as field-grown. "The market impact on field-grown tomatoes that I have seen, I call the greenhouse revolution, not imports of competitive field-grown product," he says. greenhouse-grown tomatoes

Redefining the future of greenhouse produce

Source: HD.com 10–11, 2026, in Charlotte-Concord, N.C., CEAg World is not a traditional trade show. It is a curated, grower-first gathering designed to prioritize meaningful connections, practical learning, and real business outcomes over scale. "This event is about delivering practical, proven solutions, from climate and inputs

Mexico: Dutch companies to invest over $200 million in automated greenhouse project

Source: VFD.com Mexico: Dutch companies to invest over $200 million in automated greenhouse project Thanks! The companies, along with Dutch company Van der Hoeven, will invest $70 million in the first ‌phase ⁠of the project. The project will begin with an initial phase of US$70 million and aims