Aquaculture & Hatchery
Facility design for land-based hatcheries, smolt production and recirculating aquaculture systems, through every stage to construction.
Through the whole production cycle the fish live inside the building, and the facility is shaped around that. Biosecurity separates departments and fish groups, and the water treatment sets the geometry. The humidity of the indoor climate places stricter demands on materials than most expect. The tank layout is set first, and the building structure follows it.
The build-out almost always happens in stages. Each new stage has to be brought into operation without risk to the fish in the previous one. Airlocks, zones and reserves in structure and service routes are therefore planned in from the start, as part of the design.
What we deliver
Complete facility design from feasibility through construction documentation. Tank hall layouts, water treatment buildings, biosafety zoning, pipe and utility corridor planning, laboratory integration, feed storage, staff facilities and site infrastructure. Every design accounts for phased expansion, with structural grids, pipe corridors and electrical supply are sized for future production halls from the start.
Why it matters
Land-based aquaculture is capital intensive and operationally complex. Biological risk, water chemistry and mechanical uptime are directly tied to spatial design. Facilities that cannot be maintained without production shutdowns, or that cannot expand without rebuilding, carry a permanent operational cost. We design for serviceability, biosafety isolation and staged capacity growth as core requirements.
Documented experience
Multiple hatchery and smolt production facilities across Norway, from compact coastal sites to large inland RAS installations. Projects include greenfield facilities, phased expansions of active operations, and feasibility studies for new production capacity. Recent examples run from 10,500 square metres for 14 million smolt a year to sites of 15,800 and 17,000 square metres.
Standards & compliance
Hatchery and land-based facilities are designed for biosecurity, fish welfare and process-water treatment under aquaculture authority requirements. Containment zones, access control and water treatment are built into the plan from the start.
