Reinventing Kinghaven Farms from horse racetrack to sustainable greenhouse

Kinghaven Farms faced significant challenges in its journey to establish a sustainable greenhouse. Located in the countryside, the farm was not connected to municipal services and relied solely on groundwater for its operations.  

The new greenhouse, however, would demand more water than the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks would allow without a permit, so as not to risk the depletion of the aquifer below. To protect natural resources and comply with regulations, the farm needed a sustainable solution. 

The property also featured large rolling hills, which were unsuitable for the greenhouse as it had to be constructed on flat land. This terrain challenge required considerable soil relocation (cut and fill) and engineered fill (geotechnical compaction) efforts in a 13-hectare portion of the site to prepare a suitable foundation for the greenhouse. 

To address the challenges, GHD developed a comprehensive grading plan, incorporating value engineering throughout the design phase. Due to the high costs associated with importing and exporting soil materials, our strategy involved an iterative civil 3D modelling approach that met the project objectives and the site’s physical constraints in a cut and fill balance. 

Given the limited groundwater availability, effective stormwater management became crucial for securing a sustainable and reliable water supply. We meticulously graded the landscape to separate clean roof runoff from contaminated parking lot runoff. To naturally filter the stormwater, we implemented a treatment train featuring best management practices for stormwater management, such as vegetative strips, grassed swales and biofiltration in a hybrid facility featuring dry-pond hydraulics and infiltration. The treated and infiltrated rainwater is stored in an underground reservoir immediately beneath the stormwater management facility. 

Using local rain data, we conducted extensive hydrological modeling to understand the site's water cycle and identify the optimal approach for rainwater harvesting. Based on the model’s insights, we sized the stormwater management facility and underground reservoir to meet the greenhouse’s year-round irrigation needs and simultaneously achieve the stormwater management objectives established for the site.

Kinghaven Farms now operating as Heaven Greens, pioneered the first fully automated greenhouse in Canada. This realized vision will be supported by a highly innovative sustainable rainwater harvesting system and a 2-megawatt solar park that we are also contributing to. A perfect combination of entrepreneurial vision, social responsibility, technical finesse and natured-based solutions.   

With sustainable operations in place, the greenhouse can contribute to improving food security in Ontario. This transformation highlights the potential of integrating blue green infrastructure and sustainable practices, while contributing to the broader goals of environmental sustainability and food security for Ontario.