The masters of Architecture program at the University of Newcastle is a challenging and unique elective year in which students are given free will to choose their own project, brief and site. My elected project was the Newcastle City Fodder Factory an urban farm at the former Newcastle Railway station. The Fodder Factory is the joint venture of the Newcastle City Council (NCC) and Australia Dairy Farmers (ADF).

Approximately 70% of the Australian population lives in cities, as transportation costs continue to increase the Fodder Factory provides and alternative to the procurement of food we are accustomed to.

The Fodder Factory goes beyond the simplicity of what we characterize as a dairy and brings together a number of agricultural practices forming ‘closed loop’ system that is based on the need to feed a community.

The farm provides a landscape / gathering place centered on the notion of food production and consumption, providing Australian Dairy Farmers with a building that embodies the social declaration they are looking to achieve through the exposure of the dairy industry in an urban setting. The farm provides a framework for the city to connect with food production in new and efficient ways.