Kingdom of Bahrain - 1,216 m² Glass House - Controlled-Environment Agriculture for Year-Round Tomato & Strawberry Production

Project Basic Information

This case study documents a controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) glass house project completed in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The facility was designed for the plantation and nurturing of tomatoes and strawberries, providing a stable, climate-controlled environment that supports year-round crop production in one of the Gulf region's most challenging hot-climate locations. With a footprint of approximately 1,216 square metres, the glass house measures 76 metres in length, 16 metres in width and 8 metres in height, creating a substantial growing volume for high-value produce.

The designed temperature range is 18°C to 25°C, maintained with a uniformity of ±1.5°C to ensure consistent growing conditions throughout the entire structure. Project drawings detail the 76-metre-long glass house geometry and the placement of air-handling units, providing the dimensional basis for the uniform air distribution strategy.

Customer Core Requirements

Bahrain's coastal desert environment presents severe challenges for conventional open-field horticulture. Summer temperatures are extremely high, solar radiation is intense, and the saline atmosphere accelerates corrosion of ordinary steel equipment. These conditions make it difficult to grow temperate crops such as tomatoes and strawberries profitably without an enclosed, actively cooled growing environment. The customer therefore required a glass house system capable of delivering precise climate control, reliable cooling performance under extreme ambient heat, and long-term durability in a salt-laden atmosphere.

• Precise climate control: maintain a stable temperature range of 18°C to 25°C to create optimal growing conditions for high-quality tomato and strawberry yields.

• Uniform growing environment: achieve consistent temperature distribution across the 1,216 m² floor area, with a uniformity target of ±1.5°C.

• Extreme-weather resilience: withstand high temperatures, strong solar radiation, and coastal salinity without interruption to daily operation.

• Industrial-grade reliability: use proven refrigeration components that deliver stable and efficient performance even under extreme high-temperature conditions.

• Scalable reference model: demonstrate a controlled-environment agriculture solution that can be replicated elsewhere in the Gulf region.

Targeted Solutions

Kendall Refrigeration responded with an integrated glass house climate solution that addresses each of the environmental and operational constraints identified for Bahrain. Rather than treating cooling and structure as separate items, the project was engineered as a single system in which the glass house geometry, air distribution, refrigeration hardware, and control strategy are coordinated to maintain stable crop conditions under extreme heat.

The refrigeration system is built around Bitzer compressors, selected for their robust industrial-grade performance in high-ambient applications. All refrigeration units are fitted with enlarged evaporative condensers, specifically sized to enhance heat-rejection efficiency when ambient temperatures are high. These enlarged condensers are strategically positioned within the glass house layout to maximise heat rejection and sustain stable cooling performance across the entire growing area. The condensing temperature is set at 55°C, a deliberate configuration that allows the system to cope with Bahrain's hot climate while maintaining the 18°C to 25°C growing environment inside the glass house.

To protect against the coastal desert environment, the structure and components are built with stainless steel, which reliably withstands high temperatures, solar radiation, and salinity. This material choice is central to the long-term durability of the installation, reducing the risk of corrosion-related downtime and maintenance. Air distribution was carefully optimised together with the 76 m × 16 m glass house geometry so that conditioned air reaches every growing zone, supporting the ±1.5°C uniformity target across the full 1,216 m² area.

Quantified Results

The project was successfully completed and commissioned to meet its designed performance specifications. The facility now provides a stable, actively cooled environment that supports year-round production of tomatoes and strawberries in a region where open-field cultivation of these crops is otherwise severely limited by heat and salinity.

• 1,216 m² of glass house growing area commissioned, with dimensions of 76 m × 16 m × 8 m.

• Stable temperature range of 18°C to 25°C maintained for tomato and strawberry cultivation.

• Temperature uniformity of ±1.5°C achieved across the growing area under extreme heat.

• Year-round production enabled for tomatoes and strawberries in Bahrain's hot coastal desert climate.

• Precise climate control provided for optimal plant growth and fruit quality.

• A scalable controlled-environment agriculture model demonstrated for the wider Gulf region.

By creating a controllable growing environment, the glass house converts a climate constraint into a production advantage. The customer gains predictable crop quality and supply continuity, while the installation itself serves as a reference for similar arid-climate CEA developments across the Middle East.

Project Execution, Installation & After-Sales Service

The glass house project was successfully completed under Kendall Refrigeration's supervision. During the critical installation stage, certified overseas installation engineers were directly on site to oversee all mechanical and electrical integration. They enforced strict adherence to Kendall's installation protocols, verified that every component was fitted in accordance with the design drawings, and commissioned the system so that it met the specified performance targets. This hands-on supervision ensured that the glass house was handed over in a condition capable of delivering the designed 18°C to 25°C growing environment with ±1.5°C uniformity.

Following commissioning, the project is supported by Kendall Refrigeration's after-sales service infrastructure. Remote diagnostic and monitoring capabilities allow the supplier to assist local operators with system performance, fault identification, and preventive maintenance. This ongoing support is especially valuable for overseas installations, where local specialist knowledge may be limited and rapid supplier response helps to protect crop continuity, maintain the designed 18°C to 25°C growing environment, and safeguard the return on the original investment.