People around the world have been demanding ethical treatment of dairy cows for years, and one brilliant Australian firm, Bosske Architecture, has listened and delivered. The Bosske team has designed a new solar-powered dairy farm facility with a robotic creamery in Northcliffe, Western Australia. The only dairy production facility of its kind in the world, Bannister Downs Dairy is a massive operation that is powered by a 100 KW array of roof-mounted solar panels that generate enough power for the entire ‘grass-to-gate’ facility.
The gorgeous exterior of the dairy manages to pay homage to the long history of the farming sector, while at the same time provides an ethical and sustainable milk production system that revolves around the health of the herd. The entire complex is clad in red anodized panels that catch the sun’s reflection throughout the day, changing from deep rust-hued red to purple to a shimmery gold.
Related: New floating dairy farms could produce 260 gallons of milk each day
The dairy is split into two areas: the public area for visitors and events like conferences and workshops, and the working end, which houses the milking production. The entrance is through a typical barn, inspired by the traditional Australian sheds found on local farms. An elongated gabled barn then stretches toward the milking end, which has an internal viewing gallery of the entire production. At the end of the building there is a cafe that overlooks the expansive farmland.
The gorgeous exterior of the dairy farm conceals a very modern interior with state-of-the-art robotic milking and other large-scale dairy processing equipment. The innovative design allows milking, processing, bottling and packaging to take place in one location. The milking process is developed around a voluntary milking system for the cows that operates 24 hours a day. The herd, which grazes out in the field surrounding the creamery, is milked by rotary robotic milking machines that can also analyze and help maintain the health of the cows.
To keep the creamery as sustainable as possible, the entire process runs on a massive 100 KW array of solar panels courtesy of Infinite Energy. Additionally, water conservation is integrated into the building with water collection and reuse systems throughout.
Via ArchDaily
Photography by Silvertone Photography and Peter Bennetts via Bosske Architecture>/em>
