PROJECT OVERVIEW

Innovation Foods Inc specializes in contract manufacturing; this building is a strategic investment to provide processing and packaging to the Swedish-owned Oatley, Inc facility to help service increased market demand for milk-alternative products. This 71,000 square foot facility is a low-acid aseptic production facility with a pipeline running into the right side of the building, directly sourcing the raw oat product from the Oatley facility next door. This eliminates the need for importing the raw ingredients by the traditional tanker truck method.

CONVERSION TO PRECAST SOLVES LEAD TIME CHALLENGES

Most of the structure was originally designed as steel, but during the early development phase the customer faced staggering lead times, adding over a year to the project schedule. The customer inquired about precast as an alternative to any or all the building structure; the precast manufacturer was able to design, produce, and erect the facility for them in six months, keeping them ahead of schedule and bringing the processing and packaging online far earlier than the original steel design. Additionally, the precast product was insulated, which provides additional value to the customer on the finishing end of the facility, where packaged goods are palletized and loaded into cold-storage freight trailers, a noticeable cost-saver for the customer.

PRECAST SOLUTION

The timing of this project was a key factor in using precast. The steel market was forcing the owner to delay the installation of their food processing equipment being delivered from Europe, pushing the project back an additional year in construction. The precast walls, double-tee sections for the roof, columns, and beams were all designed, manufactured, and erected within six months, allowing the owner to bring the processing online within the structure ahead of schedule. The walls, columns and beams on the interior, double-tees for the roof, and slabs for the second story flooring on portions of the interior were all constructed using precast components. Standard Grade smooth form finish with steel trowel finish on the interiors of the structure.

General Contractor:

Owner:

PCI-Certified Precast Concrete Producer:

Precast Concrete Specialty Engineer:

Key Project Attributes

The use of precast, prestressed concrete delivered the following benefits:

• The precast walls, double-tee sections for the roof, columns, and beams were all designed, manufactured, and erected within six months, allowing the owner to bring the processing online ahead of schedule.
• Standard Grade smooth form finish with steel trowel finish on the interiors of the structure.

Project/Precast Scope

• 144,182 SF of precast; components include columns, beams, double tees, and insulated wall panels
• Large precast spandrels were added in the office areas to accommodate the glass portions of the office space while remaining structurally sound
• The design of the building also included several hanging panels on the north elevation that allow for future expansion while still remaining structurally sound; these knockout sections can become bay doors. This in turn increases the sustainability of the building, giving the owner flexibility while keeping this structure intact