Cannabis Facility Planning

Why specialized facility planning matters.

Cannabis is an extremely competitive industry where success is defined by vision aligned solutions.  Well-planned cannabis facilities aren’t just “warehouses with grow lights”, nor are they facilities only focused on maximizing flower.  Well-planned facilities must integrate zoning, local and state regulations, security, production flow, sanitation protocols, packaging operations, and future scalability. A well-planned facility also explores the multitude of cultivation methodologies, their specific spatial needs, and the impact on flexibility while incorporating risk mitigation measures to limit the potential for crop loss and/or product contamination.  Implementation of a proven roadmap, inclusive of early-stage planning, helps ensure a vision aligned solution where project costs, compliance, needs, goals, budget, and schedule come together in well-planned, well-organized, functional, and highly productive facility.

By leveraging our capabilities in architectural programming, test-fits, cost and concept design services, along with our exceptional experience in construction, a cannabis operator can purpose-build or repurpose a facility that’s efficient, compliant, and cost-effective while ensuring vision alignment.

How 3rd Act supports your cannabis facility planning

Here are a few highlights and why they matter for a cannabis operation:

• 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.
• 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.

Practical tips for your facility‐planning project

• Start early: develop a business plan that includes the project’s vision where vision is defined as mission, goals, needs, budget, and schedule.
• Secure your team: engage your architect/consultants/contractor before locking into a site and/or building to ensure its suitability and alignment with the vision.
• Stay the KING: define your team members roles and responsibilities.  Establish clear expectations and milestones for reviews.  Utilize the experience, knowledge, and expertise of your team in making clear and definitive descisions to help keep the project vision aligned.

Ensure that your team,

• Focuses on flow: map clean/dirty separation, HVAC zoning, ingress/egress, storage, packaging lines, and product movement.
• Plans for regulation compliance: security, controlled access, material handling, airflow, and odor control are often regulated in cannabis operations.
• Budgets transparently and clearly: work with the cost opinions developed by your team.  Make the appropriate adjustments to scope, project size, complexity, and/or budget if the cost opinion exceeds the expected funds.  Project adjustments can include the implementation of phasing if it works with the project’s vision.
• Plan for future scalability: allow for expansion zones, modular growth, and/or changes in production type if this is part of the vision.

In the competitive cannabis industry, facility planning isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s a strategic advantage. Working with a specialized architecture-consulting firm like 3rd Act Architecture + Consulting ensures that your investment is well-designed, compliant, well-built, future-proof, and aligned with your business goals. Whether you’re starting with a greenfield site or converting an existing facility, the right planning partner helps turn complexity into clarity — letting you focus on your core competence: growing, processing, and delivering high-quality cannabis products.