Cooling & Greenhouses

RETRACTABLE GREENHOUSES & COOLING HOUSES

It's better than a
greenhouse,
it's a Cravo.

For over 40 years, Cravo has been known for its premiere retractable roof houses that allow growers to exploit the benefits of both the natural outdoor environment and a protective greenhouse or cooling house environment.

Growers of berries, vegetables, flowers, tree seedling and ornamentals in desert, tropical and temperate climates have increased their yield and quality while growing plants that are stronger and more resistant to disease and insects.

They have experienced how resistant the Cravo retractable roof coverings are to high winds, hail and high sun radiation.

grow smarter

with cravo's a-frame,
x-framE & rafter models

Watch this timelapse of the site preparation and construction of a Cravo Rafter House.

A-Frame

The A-Frame is the strongest model of peaked-roof houses that can create the best possible growing environment 24 hours/day.

It can operate in high winds, and can be designed to withstand hurricanes and snowstorms as well as support a hanging crop or irrigation booms.

Interior retractable curtains are frequently installed inside to create extra heat retention in winter, cooling in the summer as well as achieve black-out or insect control.

A Frame call out text here

Rafter

The Rafter house is similar to the A-Frame house, but is more economical because it has a post under the peak and a gutter instead of a truss.

It is used primarily in warmer climates where minimal snow loads occur, where you do not need to hang an irrigation boom or lights and where the ground is essentially level.

The Rafter house is designed to accommodate the installation of 2 retractable curtain systems inside for additional control over light, temperature, daylength or insects.

X-Frame

The X-Frame is the lowest cost peaked roof house with gutters and is designed to cover large areas typically over one hectare or 2 acres. It as a tension structure with perimeter bracing cables on all 4 walls.

The special truss design allows the house to follow gentle changes in the slope of the land making it ideal for covering fields where grading of the land is not desired.

The X-Frame is designed to accommodate the installation of 2 retractable curtain systems inside for additional control over light, temperature, daylength or insects.

GROWING PRODUCE IN HOT CLIMATES

How Cravo
Cooling Houses
are making a difference

Nearly a third of the world’s population lives in climates that pose harsh environments for growing plants. In these conditions, fresh fruits and vegetables must either be imported or grown in structures that rely on costly electric ventilation systems or expensive irrigation. With exposure to tropical storms like cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons as well as scarcity of fresh water, producing fruits and vegetables becomes a major challenge. The beautiful island of Eleuthera in The Bahamas is one such climate.

Watch this video series highlighting how Dr. Selima Hauber and her team at the Centre for Technology and Innovation in Eleuthera (CTI) are using Cravo’s Cooling Houses to provide fresh leafy greens to restaurants, residents, and businesses on the island.

Courtesy of CTI Eleuthera and the "Bahamas @ Sunrise" program.