Serenity Farms
Designed the world's largest self-sufficient greenhouse complex, saving 9.2 billion liters of aquifer water.
- Client
- Reza
Serenity Farms is home to the world's largest greenhouse complex, completely powered by solar energy and using seawater to preserve depleted aquifers. At 110 hectares, it demonstrates that profitable food production can sustain communities in some of our harshest environments while reducing emissions and resource use.
Most significantly, Serenity Farms establishes a unique non-oil-based economic engine in a region perilously dominated by the fossil fuel industry. It showcases a new food production industry for the future, providing fresh food to dry and arid regions along with long-term quality jobs, education, and sustainable economic growth.
The Problem
People living in arid and semi-arid regions rely on two types of produce: locally-sourced, water-intensive, and low-quality, or expensive, air-freighted, and far from fresh. Both options deplete aquifers, generate emissions, and fail to build local economic resilience.
The design challenge was to create a food production system at unprecedented scale that uses zero aquifer water, runs entirely on renewable energy, and produces consistent high-quality fresh produce while providing thousands of quality jobs in a fossil-fuel-dependent economy.
Process
Seawater desalination integration
The entire facility uses 100% desalinated seawater sourced directly from the Red Sea, saving an estimated 9.2 billion liters of aquifer water annually. The desalination is powered by solar energy, making the water supply completely renewable.Solar-powered closed system
Concentrated solar power provides all energy for operations, desalination, and climate control. The greenhouse system creates a controlled environment that produces yields far exceeding open-field farming while eliminating pesticide use.Economic diversification design
Beyond food production, the design integrates education facilities, research labs, and economic programs that train local workers in high-tech agriculture, creating sustainable employment that outlasts the region's fossil fuel economy.Outcomes
- Greenhouse area
- 110 hectares
- World's largest self-sufficient greenhouse complex
- Water saved
- 9.2 billion L
- Annual aquifer water savings through seawater desalination
- Energy source
- 100% solar
- Completely powered by concentrated solar energy
- Employment
- 5,500+ jobs
- Direct and indirect sustainable employment created
Gallery
Credits
Except team: Tom Bosschaert (Director), Jacob Verhaart (Head of Science, Industrial Ecologist), Monica Visniuc (Industrial Ecologist), Emma Westerduin (Architect and Project Manager), Antonia Sore (Architect), Jeroen van der Vlist (Chief Operations Officer (COO)), Tim Horsten (CSR Consultant / Engineer).
With: Tim Ewart (Project Manager), Gertjan van Hardeveld (Business Strategist).
Except team: Tom Bosschaert (Director), Jacob Verhaart (Head of Science, Industrial Ecologist), Monica Visniuc (Industrial Ecologist), Emma Westerduin (Architect and Project Manager), Antonia Sore (Architect), Jeroen van der Vlist (Chief Operations Officer (COO)), Tim Horsten (CSR Consultant / Engineer).
With: Tim Ewart (Project Manager), Gertjan van Hardeveld (Business Strategist).
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