Large-scale Warehouse: Distribution center completed on time and on budget with metal building system
by Jonathan McGaha | November 30, 2009 12:00 am
The new 660,000-square-foot (61,314-m2) distribution center for Newell Rubbermaid in Winfield, Kan., was the largest project completed in Kansas in 2008 and also among the fastest ever built on that scale in the state. The facility, developed for lease by Chicago-based developer InSite Real Estate LLC, was built in 150 days using design-build project delivery and metal building systems construction.
Carefully coordinated project management by the general contractor, Felderman Design Build, Fort Wayne, Ind., the owner/developer and the Tulsa, Okla.-based steel erection subcontractor, Fleming Building Co. Inc., was essential because of an already tight schedule that became potentially encumbered by more than 40 days of rain and other winter weather conditions that should have scuttled those days of work, according to Russ Felderman, CEO of Felderman Design Build.
“Six of those 40 days were such bad weather that we couldn’t work at all because of paralyzing conditions,” said Dan Eads, senior project manager, who with Mike Chidister, project manager, oversaw the project for Felderman Design Build. “In addition to the weather problems, we also faced a lot of underlying rock just a foot down and changes the owner wanted to the building after we had started. Even so, we completed the project without extensions in the schedule.”
According to Ted Prasopoulos, managing director with InSite Real Estate, the developer had to adhere to the challenging schedule when site work began in January, since Rubbermaid faced expiring leases at other shipping points that were being consolidated into the Winfield building.
“We’ve had a long-standing relationship with Rubbermaid and even acquired their 1.3-million-square-foot [120,770-m2] headquarters in Wooster, Ohio,” Prasopoulos said. “This new warehouse in Winfield is a companion building for finished foam-insulated coolers that are made across the street at their manufacturing plant.
“All of our customers normally want a project done quickly as the trend continues across the country toward adopting single points of distribution. However, the one in Winfield was clearly different because of the urgency reflected in the timeframe of the project’s delivery.”
Built on 31 1/2 acres (13 hectares) within the Winfield Industrial Park, the project was designed around pre-engineered metal building systems from Butler Manufacturing, Kansas City, Mo., ensuring firm pricing, faster erection and better quality control over the finished building.
“This type of construction gave us the 50- by 50-foot [15- by 15-m] bays with the clear height we wanted in case it ever needs to be adapted to another user,” Prasopoulos said. “The roof has just enough pitch [1/4:12] to drain properly and we avoid having a bunch of penetrations for air-handling or other roof-mounted units up there, so you end up with a continuous seamed metal system.”
“One of our biggest maintenance expenses on buildings is the roofs but our costs for maintaining Butler MR-24 roofs have been virtually nothing,” he continued.
“We had a firm completion date set for May 25 for the total building and we were able to temporarily close off and turn over a fourth of the space to Rubbermaid on March 24, just three days after we poured the concrete floor,” Felderman said. “We tracked the schedule using Microsoft project management software and reported to the owner almost daily, in addition to having two live video cameras at the site that they could monitor 24/7. The Butler structural system and related components had phenomenal quality control that further prevented delays.”
The building, which has 36 dock doors down one side, operates at ambient temperature except for the sprinkler system’s pumphouses and the 3,000 square feet (279 m2) of office space. The 10 percent glycol sprinkler system, serving 18 zones, provides fire protection. The building has low-level concrete bumpers around the inside perimeter for protection against forklift traffic, an energy-efficient lighting system and a tornado shelter incorporated into the office area. The facility’s site can accept an additional 250,000 square feet (23,225 m2) in the future.
The new facility brought 60 jobs to the Winfield area, and was completed without a lost-time injury, in addition to being on time and on schedule.
Butler Manufacturing
Source URL: https://www.metalarchitecture.com/projects/large-scale-warehouse-distribution-center-completed-on-time-and-on-budget-with-metal-building-system/