Photo courtesy of Vantage Builders
A Peterborough medical marijuana grower now has 4,500 more square feet thanks to a new addition recently completed by Vantage Builders.
Prima Alternative Treatment Centers had hired the Waltham, Massachusetts-based contracting firm to build a mother, propagation and vegetation room, two flowering rooms, a drying room, trimming and bulk material storage room, and a decontamination room, where workers gown up prior to entering the grow areas. The new expanded facility more than doubles Prime ATC’s therapeutic cannabis cultivation capacity and increased the company’s footprint in the building from approximately 6,000 square feet to over 10,000 square feet. The project team also included GJO Associates architects and BLW Engineers.
“We were thoroughly impressed with the level of professionalism and commitment that the Vantage Builders team demonstrated throughout the entire project, from the initial bidding to completion,” Klaus Polttila, cultivation and production manager at Prime ATC, said in a statement. “Not only did Vantage prove to be capable in the field, the team also provided excellent guidance to Prime when they identified processes that could impact our daily operations. In particular, we appreciate the team’s open and constant communication and progress reports. It really was a smooth and seamless build.”
The flowering and mother grow rooms are constructed with interlocking, insulated metal PermaTherm wall and ceiling panels. Unistrut systems support the myriad grow lights and horizontal fans that create the environmental conditions necessary for therapeutic cannabis cultivation. Epoxy flooring coating, with an integral cove wall base going four inches up the wall, helps ensure a clean environment in the growing rooms. New HVAC systems deliver the precise temperature and humidity levels. Vantage installed three new energy recovery units on the building’s roof, supported by steel dunnage platforms, as well as the necessary ductwork. All building systems are coordinated via a digital building management system that controls temperature ranges, light schedules, RH percentages, carbon dioxide levels and irrigation events in each room and allows remote monitoring.
“Cannabis cultivation projects are very challenging and require a strong, integrated team for success,” Vantage Builders Principal John Connor said in a statement. “Each room – flowering, mother, dry room – has unique demands and requirements, so it’s almost like several different projects in one. Vantage Builders enjoys the challenge that cultivation projects present.”
