Australia: Airport vertical farm project nears completion
Source: VFD.com
Australia: Airport vertical farm project nears completion Thanks! Building an automated vertical farm inside an airport precinct was never going to follow a conventional construction path.
Partnering with Stacked Farm and Melbourne Airport on an automated indoor farm, food and beverage building specialist Total Construction worked to cut through the noise, delivering a holistic approach to lower risks and blowouts while redirecting focus. The vertical farm, which spans more than 11,000 square metres, is expected to produce 3.4 million kilograms of fresh herbs and leafy greens annually.
For the company, the project has involved balancing evolving technology, airport regulations, logistics challenges and controlled growing environments, while maintaining program timelines on the project. "We are tracking well ahead of the anticipated programme and Stacked Farm is getting some massive benefits from that," said project manager Don Peteranna.
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
