At a million square metres of desert, the structure is the climate.
Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Single tunnel greenhouse, 1,000,000 square metres.
Situation Source record
Single tunnel greenhouse for desert growing, with protection from sand and film that reflects infrared and ultraviolet.
Challenge
Grow protected crops at scale in a climate that destroys unprotected ones, on a footprint where a specification error is multiplied a million times.
What JYCO examined
Heat, sand and radiation set the structure choice, and the structure sets the temperature, light, humidity and water the crop actually sees. At this footprint those had to be treated as one system rather than separate specifications.
Issues identified
Environment before equipment. Sand, heat and radiation determined the film and structure, and the structure determined every downstream variable; treating them as separate procurement lines would have produced a greenhouse that could not be operated. Variables in play: structure, temperature, light, water, humidity.
Approach
Qualify the environment before the equipment. A system proven in a temperate setting is examined again for heat, dust and radiation before it is specified for a desert site.