Harvest London Vertical Farm Design & Build

Client: Harvest London

Location: Wellington Road, London, E10 7QF

Project overview:

• Develop detailed drawings for Vertical Farm
• Create 153sqm of growing footprint
• Install specialist agricultural LED lighting
• utomate irrigation and climate control

The solution:

Transforming an empty industrial unit in London into a sophisticated indoor vertical farming space created a challenge that our experts thrived upon.

From the moment Harvest London sent us their first technical designs, our aim was to provide a full turnkey service to hand over a fully-functioning grow room and automated environment control system.

By harnessing the power of energy-saving LED lighting and automating the climate and irrigation systems, this vertical farm can now guarantee the year-round production of quality leafy greens for its customers.

Jason Tether, project manager at CambridgeHOK, said: “It’s very rewarding to work with a grower dedicated to ensuring food is grown much closer to customers and the point of consumption, helping uphold the quality of product and reducing food wastage. It was also pleasing to complete on time, and under budget.”

The benefits for our client:

From concept to completion, this exciting development took 12 months to produce the first basil off the racks.

Now it is possible for Harvest London to supply London restaurants with a variety of herbs and leafy greens all year round, within hours of harvest.

Since utilising the latest hydroponic technology, the indoor farming specialists have grown red basil, Peruvian black mint, red dragon mustard, Mexican tarragon, mitsuba, devil’s tongue lettuce, and magentaspreen.

Matt Chlebek, Chief Agronomist at Harvest London, said: “CambridgeHOK steered the project through every possible step. As a client it is reassuring to know you are working with a company which handles every aspect of planning, design and build.

"Our new farm has enabled a step-change in production, enabling us to fulfil orders for clients while also finding space to constantly trial new ingredients. Our customers have been impressed by the taste, freshness and reliability of the produce we've grown using this technology.

“We're always trying to squeeze more efficiency out of the farm, because we think vertical farming can make a difference in the collective fight to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, without compromising on quality or choice."