The demand created by the unstoppable growth of ecommerce continues to have a major impact on the industrial building sector’s design and construction of factories, warehouses, distribution centers, and fulfillment centers.
Walmart Mexico is in the midst of a five-year program to build 15 distribution centers across that country. SSOE Group has engaged in the design and construction management of three of these so far: a 376,000-sf building in Chihuahua, a 645,000-sf distribution center in Tabasco, and a 400,000-sf facility in Chalco, according to Erick Kuri, SSOE’s Mexico Division Manager.
Stantec is experiencing greater demand for distribution centers (DCs) in all geographies, says George Halkias, a Senior Principal with the firm. He says the location of warehouse, distribution, and fulfillment centers is often determined by how quickly that building can be operational.
Related content: Top 70 Industrial Sector Architecture Firms
Related content: Top 85 Industrial Sector Engineering Firms
Related content: Top 95 Industrial Sector Contractors Firms
Michael Schmidt, Leo A Daly’s Market Sector Leader for Food, Distribution, and Manufacturing, sees clients shifting from large, remote distribution facilities to fulfillment centers closer to metros. One retail client, Target, commissioned his firm to transform one quarter of the square footage in five of Target’s million-sf DCs to accommodate fulfillment functions.
Ware Malcomb, which designs about 70 million sf of industrial space annually, is designing fulfillment centers that range from 40,000 sf to more than a million sf. Jim Terry, a Principal with the firm, notes that ceiling heights in some specialized ecommerce centers reach as high as 100 feet. Developers are considering cubic volume (abetted by technology) to accommodate more goods, and are asking for buildings with up to 40 feet of clear ceiling height.
Eric Buer, Burns & McDonnell’s Real Estate Development Director, says there’s a “huge need” for various types of warehousing and logistics capacity in response to the online sales boom. But at the current pace of development, only about half of the needed space over the next five years will be available.
The industry is definitely homing in on strategies to enhance and improve last-touch distribution capabilities. “The costs associated with multiple deliveries are the single largest target margin left in this cycle,” says Brian Chatham, a Project Manager with Burns & McDonnell. Chatham anticipates that freight consolidation by seller or delivery point will be an ongoing effort among operators.
Automating industrial facility operations
Automated storage and retrieval systems and robotics in general are becoming more common in industrial facilities, too, so Stantec has been working with clients to determine automation’s real impact on their ROI. Stantec uses such tools as discrete-event simulation and mathematical optimization to model, test, improve, and evaluate systems performance in a virtual environment against stated project objectives.
Kuri of SSOE adds that automation integration is driving mechanical and electrical support systems to accommodate fewer employees, “or essentially be able to go dark with lighting systems only for maintenance.”
Tech is pervasive in this sector. Todd Schell, Senior Vice President–Industrial Sector for Ryan Companies, spots a “renaissance” in concrete technology that, for DCs, helps to minimize the need for sawcut or other joints that are hard on equipment. Prefabrication is also a growing trend, which Schell says is being utilized mostly for MEP construction.
Ryan Companies uses BIM and VDC frequently during the design phase of industrial projects to eliminate conflicts. Clayco, which started or completed 41.2 million sf of industrial projects in 2018, designs all projects for this sector in 3D and in ways that the facility can be built in modularized sections offsite, says Anthony J. Johnson, Clayco’s Executive Vice President and Industrial Business Unit Leader.
As industrial buildings move nearer to urban areas, their designs are taking into account the surrounding aesthetic. “Our design approach is to look at warehouses as workplaces worthy of design excellence as a Class A office building,” says Schmidt of Leo A Daly.
The primary goal of any big change in this sector is, inevitably, faster delivery. “That requires finding land closer to customers, efficiency in scaling, and shortening delivery timeframes,” observes Clayco’s Johnson.
Buer says his firm is working on design ideas “for same-day, same-hour delivery options.” Like other AEC firms in this sector, Burns & McDonnell is keeping a close eye on the demand for and efficacy of multistory warehouse and distribution centers that last year started popping up in a few U.S. cities.
“The exciting new trend is for freestanding, multistory warehouses within metro areas,” says Borys Hayda, Partner and Managing Principal with DeSimone Consulting Engineers, which is designing five such projects to be located in the New York boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, and The Bronx.
Ware Malcomb is working on five multistory distribution projects that are in various stages of development. The firm has master-planned over 50 sites to accommodate these facilities in major North American markets, says Michael Bennett, a Principal with the firm.
MORE FROM BD+C'S 2019 GIANTS 300 REPORT
Related Stories
3D Printing | Apr 11, 2023
University of Michigan’s DART Laboratory unveils Shell Wall—a concrete wall that’s lightweight and freeform 3D printed
The University of Michigan’s DART Laboratory has unveiled a new product called Shell Wall—which the organization describes as the first lightweight, freeform 3D printed and structurally reinforced concrete wall. The innovative product leverages DART Laboratory’s research and development on the use of 3D-printing technology to build structures that require less concrete.
Market Data | Apr 11, 2023
Construction crane count reaches all-time high in Q1 2023
Toronto, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Denver top the list of U.S/Canadian cities with the greatest number of fixed cranes on construction sites, according to Rider Levett Bucknall's RLB Crane Index for North America for Q1 2023.
University Buildings | Apr 11, 2023
Supersizing higher education: Tracking the rise of mega buildings on university campuses
Mega buildings on higher education campuses aren’t unusual. But what has been different lately is the sheer number of supersized projects that have been in the works over the last 12–15 months.
Architects | Apr 10, 2023
Bill Hellmuth, FAIA, Chairman and CEO of HOK, dies at 69
William (Bill) Hellmuth, FAIA, the Chairman and CEO of HOK, passed away on April 6, 2023, after a long illness. Hellmuth designed dozens of award-winning buildings across the globe, including the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company Headquarters and the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.
Contractors | Apr 10, 2023
What makes prefabrication work? Factors every construction project should consider
There are many factors requiring careful consideration when determining whether a project is a good fit for prefabrication. JE Dunn’s Brian Burkett breaks down the most important considerations.
Mixed-Use | Apr 7, 2023
New Nashville mixed-use high-rise features curved, stepped massing and wellness focus
Construction recently started on 5 City Blvd, a new 15-story office and mixed-use building in Nashville, Tenn. Located on a uniquely shaped site, the 730,000-sf structure features curved, stepped massing and amenities with a focus on wellness.
Smart Buildings | Apr 7, 2023
Carnegie Mellon University's research on advanced building sensors provokes heated controversy
A research project to test next-generation building sensors at Carnegie Mellon University provoked intense debate over the privacy implications of widespread deployment of the devices in a new 90,000-sf building. The light-switch-size devices, capable of measuring 12 types of data including motion and sound, were mounted in more than 300 locations throughout the building.
Affordable Housing | Apr 7, 2023
Florida’s affordable housing law expected to fuel multifamily residential projects
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law affordable housing legislation that includes $711 million for housing programs and tax breaks for developers. The new law will supersede local governments’ zoning, density, and height requirements.
Energy Efficiency | Apr 7, 2023
Department of Energy makes $1 billion available for states, local governments to upgrade building codes
The U.S. Department of Energy is offering funding to help state and local governments upgrade their building codes to boost energy efficiency. The funding will support improved building codes that reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency, according to DOE.
Steel Buildings | Apr 6, 2023
2023 AISC Forge Prize winner envisions the gas station of the future
Forge Prize winner LVL (Level) Studio envisions a place where motorists can relax, work, play, shop, or perhaps even get healthcare while their vehicles charge.
