Lufa Farms breaks ground on world’s largest rooftop farm
This new greenhouse will grow eggplants and more than 10 unique tomato varieties without the use of synthetic pesticides.
Lufa Farms, Canada, announced the construction of its fourth commercial rooftop greenhouse in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Canada. The 163,800-square-foot greenhouse is said to be the largest rooftop farm in the world, and will grow eggplants and more than 10 unique tomato varieties without the use of synthetic pesticides. Construction began in September, and is expected to be finished by March 2020. This milestone also coincides with the company’s 10th anniversary.
This greenhouse repurposes an existing industrial rooftop.
“With each greenhouse, we hold ourselves to an ever-higher standard for sustainable design. Our new farm will be the most energy efficient to date and integrate all our learnings from the last 10 years to responsibly grow more vegetables for Lufavores year-round,” says Lauren Rathmell, co-founder and greenhouse director.
The greenhouse will feature double-paned glass and two sets of energy-saving screens for improved insulation. And, its integration with the building below provides additional thermal benefit to both structures. The greenhouse will also capture rainwater to be used in the closed-loop irrigation system, as well as offset waste with an on-site composting system.
Plus, this most recent greenhouse will have a greater surface area than their three current greenhouses combined.
“This rooftop greenhouse will double our growing capacity and allow us to feed 2% of Montreal with fresh, local vegetables. It’s an unbelievable step forward for hyper-local, sustainable urban farming,” says Mohamed Hage, co-founder and CEO.
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