Groundbreaking | Stacked Farm Melbourne Airport
Total Construction to Deliver World’s Largest Indoor Vertical Farm at Melbourne Airport
Total Construction, a national leader in food and beverage facility development, has been appointed as the design and construction partner for Stacked Farm’s world-leading fully automated indoor vertical farm at Melbourne Airport.
With a $150 million investment and planning approvals secured, construction commenced in January 2025, with completion expected by mid-2026. Covering 10,000 square metres, the facility will be the largest indoor vertical farm globally by output, producing 3.4 million kilograms of fresh herbs and leafy greens annually.
Total Construction’s Expertise in Food & Beverage Facility Development
Total Construction has been engaged under an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) model, ensuring a collaborative, risk-managed approach to delivery. With in-house engineering, design, and construction expertise, Total Construction has worked closely with Stacked Farm and Melbourne Airport since 2023, refining the project’s design, approvals, and buildability to achieve an efficient and scalable solution.
“Our experience in delivering complex food and beverage facilities allows us to provide tailored engineering and construction solutions that support our clients’ technological and operational requirements,” said Steve Taylor, Managing Director at Total Construction. “By engaging early, we’ve ensured that this project is not only groundbreaking in scale and efficiency but also fully optimised for sustainability and performance.”
Advanced Pre-Construction Planning Ensures Delivery Success
Total Construction’s pre-construction involvement has been instrumental in fast-tracking project milestones:
- August 2023 – April 2024 – Initial design collaboration and feasibility assessments with Stacked Farm.
- October 2023 – First budgetary costing provided; weekly steering meetings with Melbourne Airport commence.
- January 2024 – Site investigations and due diligence completed.
- February 2024 – Planning Permit submitted (first time in Melbourne Airport history this was done before board approval).
- March 2024 – APAM Board approval secured; Total Construction issued Letter of Intent to proceed with design.
- May 2024 – 100% design finalization; staged construction documentation initiated.
- December 2024 – Total Construction site mobilization, with airport authority approval finalized.
- January 2025 – Construction commences.
Revolutionising Food Production Through Technology & Sustainability
Designed to set a new global standard in high-tech vertical farming, the facility will feature:
- Fully automated AI-driven operations, including 25 proprietary robotic systems managing seeding, germination, and harvesting.
- 47% more energy-efficient lighting than traditional farms.
- A zero-waste water system and operations powered entirely by green energy.
- A climate-controlled environment for year-round consistent production with minimal manual labour (only 15 highly skilled staff required).
- Faster crop cycles: 16-31 days compared to 45-80 days in traditional farming.
Total Construction: The Trusted Partner in Food & Beverage Facilities
As a specialist in high-performance food and beverage infrastructure, Total Construction is committed to delivering innovative, sustainable, and future-proof developments. This project marks another milestone in Total Construction’s track record of successful food and beverage projects, leveraging in-house expertise in process engineering, design, and construction management.
Upon completion, Stacked Farm Melbourne will be the first large-scale indoor vertical farm in an airport precinct in the southern hemisphere, demonstrating the power of advanced engineering, sustainable practices, and world-class construction expertise.
Total Construction’s Food & Beverage Specialist team specialise in design and construction of complex food and beverage projects creating innovative facilities with our ‘inside out’ approach.
Stacked Farm at Melbourne Airport is our latest project to break ground in what will be the world’s largest fully automated indoor vertical farm by volume output.
Total Construction, as head contractor, is overseeing design, approvals, construction, and fitout.
Insights
At TOTAL, we are committed to fostering a workplace culture where asking for help is not just accepted but actively encouraged and seen as the norm.
We proudly present the successful delivery of the Woolworths Metro Mosman project. Doors opened for trade, unveiling the stunning preservation of the historical features, revitalising the six heritage listed shops.
It was all celebrations last Friday night, as TOTAL Queensland came away with the prestigious Master Builders Queensland Award in the category of Commercial/Industrial Building ($15-30m Brisbane) for our impressive StoreLocal Berrinba Self Storage project.
This past Sunday, TOTAL team members, along with their family and friends, came together at community locations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to participate in Australia’s largest tree planting and nature care event: Planet Ark’s National Tree Day.
At TOTAL, we are committed to fostering a workplace culture where asking for help is not just accepted but actively encouraged and seen as the norm.
We proudly present the successful delivery of the Woolworths Metro Mosman project. Doors opened for trade, unveiling the stunning preservation of the historical features, revitalising the six heritage listed shops.
It was all celebrations last Friday night, as TOTAL Queensland came away with the prestigious Master Builders Queensland Award in the category of Commercial/Industrial Building ($15-30m Brisbane) for our impressive StoreLocal Berrinba Self Storage project.
This past Sunday, TOTAL team members, along with their family and friends, came together at community locations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to participate in Australia’s largest tree planting and nature care event: Planet Ark’s National Tree Day.