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Abstract: From a study of all available literature it appears that the history ofthe planning and development of the modem mushroom farm as an intrinsic entity in its own right appears to be virtually non-existent. Apparently, the mushroom growing industry has never at any time thought it worth while to consult an architect when building new or extending old mushroom farms. The vast range of nondescript structures used to house all the various operations of the industry bears witness to the complete neglect of sound technical advice in this most basic of fundamentals. The 'evolution' - which must be considered a much more appropriate term than 'planning' - of the modern mushroom farm may be traced through the earliest bed systems both in the open and in underground caves and tunnels; to adapted glasshouses, sheds, old farm outbuildings of all shapes and sizes through to the present-day mixture of concrete blocks, asbestos sheeting and pre-cast concrete. Though concrete is a relatively permanent inert material its indiscriminate use in the construction of modern mushroom farms must be held open to question in the light of modem building technology and the development of lightweight building materials. While the modern farm may satisfy the industrial requirements of today, it suffers from quite a few major deficiencies, and leaves much to be desired for tomorrow's production, financial and marketing challenges. Therefore, for purposes of this short paper it can be assumed that no precedent exists for planning and development of a large or medium size mushroom farm from modern basic growing principles, and that a new approach must be made to the entire problem. This new planning system, which I propose, is based on: (1) a study of the basic conditions and disciplines required through all stages of mushroom growing from the preparation of compost to final delivery of the mushrooms, in relation to the ideal environment required for each individual stage; (2) the development from this study of one standard type structure suitable for all above individual stages, and (3) the extension of this individual structural plan to form a complete self-contained modern mushroom farm.
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