Delta Built Environment Consultants (Delta BEC) was appointed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to design a one-hectare high-tech agriculture greenhouse in the Republic of Djibouti. Delta BEC’s task involved creating a detailed design tailored to withstand Djibouti’s specific weather and geological conditions. The overarching goal of the project was to design and price a high-tech commercial-scale greenhouse and determine if it is feasible to develop and operate this in Djibouti’s arid conditions. The secondary goal was to gather insights on required skills, materials, investment needs, and potential agricultural yields for future replication.

The design services provided by Delta BEC included several key phases. In the Concept Design phase, core ideas were discussed and visually expressed, estimates regarding produce capacity, greenhouse size, and supporting facilities were determined, and various design options were presented to the client for approval. 

The site visit phase involved critical on site assessments in Djibouti, where the project team gathered information related to water sources, foundation and soil types, and property boundaries and conducted meetings with stakeholders such as the UNDP Djibouti Project Team and the Ministry of Agriculture. The Design Development and Specification phase saw the finalisation of the engineering design in a detailed report, including specifications for various components and facilities, as well as the creation of CAD drawings and 3D visualisations. A detailed bill of estimates for construction and operational costs, along with a financial analysis to assess the project’s viability, were also included in the final report.