Cannabis Construction

Why cannabis facility design matters.

A cannabis facility is a highly complex building type that requires careful consideration and integration of a multitude of components.  These considerations include zoning, regulations, security, cultivation methodology, processing flows, HVAC (temperature and dehumidification systems), clean vs dirty zones, packaging, and shipping workflows. Other considerations include compliance with cGMP, WHO-GACP, and/or EU-GMP based on a project’s location and the client’s vision.  With 3rd Act’s support, the team can avoid design errors and/or flaws that lead to added costs (both CapEx and OpEx), adversely impact schedules, and can hamper yields or compliance. 

Additionally, the market has matured.  What once was “any production facility works” is now “optimized design drives premium products produced at lower cost”. It is well known in today’s industry that today’s cannabis facility design must consider not just upfront cost, but long-term operational efficiency, workflow, quality, and energy/maintenance costs to remain competitive.

What 3rd Act brings to cannabis facility design

3rd Act offers a full suite of services tailored to cannabis facility design: visioning assistance, programming, test-fits, conceptual design, cost-opinioning, peer review, owner’s representation and more.

Here’s how those translate into value for a cannabis operator:

• Turnkey Design-Build Services: 3rd Act Architecture + Consulting can deliver your project turnkey.  We will serve as your Design-Builder utilizing an AIA A141 – 2014 Agreement.  As your Design-Builder we will be responsible for bringing the architecture, engineering, and construction teams to the table and coordinating a vision aligned delivery.
• Visioning Assistance: Helps you clarify your business goals, production targets, budget, and schedule upfront, so design aligns with your vision from Day 1.
• Programming & Test-Fits: Defining spatial requirements and doing layout studies is especially critical in cannabis: cultivation rooms, drying rooms, processing, packaging, storage, and distribution each have unique needs. 3rd Act’s test-fits help assess whether a site is viable before purchase.
• Conceptual Design & Architectural Cost Opinions: Early-stage designs and cost evaluations enable you to make informed decisions about site, building system, and budget trade-offs.
• Basis of Design Document: Integrates the Vision, Programming, System and Equipment Narratives, Conceptual Design, and Cost Opinions into one unified document.  The Basis of Design serves as the foundation for full facility design and construction.
• Existing Facility Analysis & Property Condition Assessments (PCA): If you’re converting an existing building for cannabis use, 3rd Act can evaluate its condition, identify risks, and estimate capital expenditures so you’re not caught off guard.
• Owner’s Representative & Peer Review Services: They also act on your behalf during construction, ensuring the design intent is maintained, budgets are controlled and industry-specific flows (e.g., clean versus dirty zones, secure storage, chain of custody) are enforced.

Key design takeaways for a cannabis production facility

• Spatial planning and maximizing flower:  Maximizing flower means properly planning all spaces required within the facility to ensure the smooth and efficient movement of product throughout its life cycle.
• Cultivation methodology:  Put ten growers in a room and ask them the best way to grow and you’ll get fourteen different answers.  The proposed cultivation methodology should be vetted to ensure flexibility for future modifications and alignment with the client’s vision.
• Workflow optimization: Map clean/dirty flows, material handling, ingress/egress, product movement from cultivation to dry to trim to manufacturing, to packaging/shipping.
• Zoning & compliance: Many jurisdictions tightly regulate spacing, security zones, material access, and waste handling. Designing with compliance in mind avoids delays.
• HVAC and environmental control: Cannabis production demands more than ambient comfort—mother, clone, propagation, veg, flower, and drying all require distinct zones, humidity control, heat load management, dehumidification, air movement, and variable lighting.
• Scalability and flexibility: If your business vision includes growth and/or changes, which can include expanded flower or added manufacturing, the facility design should be developed to accommodate such growth or future rework without impact to the ongoing operations.
• Cost transparency: Early cost opinions allow you to evaluate CapEx vs OpEx trade-offs — what’s worth investing in for lower long-term costs.

In the competitive cannabis industry, exceptional facility design isn’t a luxury—it’s a differentiator. Working with a specialist architecture-consulting firm like 3rd Act Architecture & Consulting ensures your investment is well-designed, compliant, well-built, future-proof and aligned with your business goals and vision. Whether you’re starting from scratch or repurposing an existing building, the right planning and design partner helps turn complexity into clarity—letting you focus on what you do best: growing, processing, and delivering top-quality cannabis products.