Refrigerated Warehouse

Industrial Construction

Industrial by Hance Construction

Always have the blueprints in front of you before you start building. That’s “Construction 101” right? Well, some projects don’t fit into that textbook timeline.

Our client moves more than 750,000 lbs. of fresh produce through their doors every day, so we needed to manage the building schedule of their new refrigerated warehouse to minimize financial and operational interruptions. On top of that, we needed to complete the building infrastructure before winter in order to deliver the finished product by the desired completion date. However, we were still waiting on one of the most vital design decisions: what dock leveling system the facility would use. The type of dock leveler system would determine where the anchor plate and utility cables needed to be installed before the concrete foundation could be poured. It’s a decision that was absolutely crucial to get right, but if we wanted to meet the deadline, we couldn’t wait any longer.

Project Specs
Property Type: Refrigerated Warehouse
Location: South Plainfield, NJ
Our Role: Design-Build & Construction Management
Butler Products: Butler wall system and framing

 

  • A tight building schedule and encroaching winter had us building before design was even complete, which required a plan and approach tailored to some very complex logistics.

It might sound like a recipe for disaster, but Hance Construction took the challenge head on . . . and conquered. Our comprehensive tailored construction services for this project included:

  •  Conducting an exhaustive study of dock leveling system specifications in order to engineer a solution that would work with any leveler system the owner chose to use.
  • Hybrid building construction using composite wall systems. The Butler framing allowed us to use unique bracing to maintain the building's structural integrity while allowing us to install an extreme number of openings.
  • Creating solutions for long-term value in maintenance and energy efficiency. Butler framework allowed us to create a lowered pit and shelter to create a weather-tight seal around the openings to reduce open air contamination and energy loss.
  • Choosing and installing a trailer safety lock to reduce worker accidents.
  • Designing armored control housing for each bay.
  • Installing all cables and utilities before pouring the concrete foundation.

Hance received the MBCEA 2015 Award of Merit for this project.