Rail Tanker Wash Facility
Industrial by Hance ConstructionHance Construction
With a project as logistically challenging and unique as this one, Hance Construction’s ability to provide design/build services was key. Rough material for our clients’ product is shipped in by railroad tankers and a completely pure final product must be shipped away in that same tanker. This requires a complex facility and system that can wash tankers in between use. The client already had one of these facilities, but needed another built next to it. To ensure uninterrupted production, Hance had a seven day window to tear up existing track, excavate the road base, form and pour the foundation and reset the track.
Our Role: Design/Builder
Architecture Firm: Kenneth Quabeck, A.I.A
Structural Engineer: Beth Pochtar, P.E.
- A tight schedule and precise facility requirements called for a construction approach tailored around logistics.
Our building solutions to logistical challenges and strict requirements included:
- Using a unique field assembled composite panel to protect insulation from being exposed and keep the environment clean.
- Coordination of strict safety/shutdown procedures since the work was immediately adjacent to active rail lines.
- Utilizing the original building’s existing steel columns on one side for part of the new structure, saving time and money and creating additional interior space.
- Using railings suspended from the roof to hold the sprayers instead of a platform, saving considerable construction costs.