GOEX Facility

Summarize the project's program, features, and achievements: The 127,000 square foot state-of-the-art GOEX plastics manufacturing facility in Cedar City, Utah, features three-story equipment mezzanines, automated production area, warehouse, office space, and a new railway spur. Constructed of well-crafted exposed architectural tilt-up concrete walls that vary in height from 28 feet to nearly 40 feet and are not only relatively maintenance free, but the natural finish seems organic to the desert region – a blend of cost economy, long-term durability, and an appropriate design expression. GOEX not only joined Southern Utah’s manufacturing space, it set a new standard of quality, longevity, and architectural aesthetic.

What obstacles were overcome related to the schedule, budget, program, specification, site, etc. on this project? Cost was a major challenge with the timing of this job. The project started as the market was becoming extremely volatile following the Covid-19 pandemic. To combat cost, the construction team, designers, and owners looked for ways to save money. The team, in coordination with the excavation contractor, was able to lower the site, building, and asphalt elevations. This change allowed the savings of nearly $250,000.00. GOEX had some challenges due to the size and weight of the concrete sandwich panels and a crane path had to be left out in the main production area. To save on cost few casting slabs were used. This required careful placement of panels as they were being formed on the building slab along with sequencing the standing of panels with the concrete floor pours. Another major hurdle for the project was materials and manpower shortages. Planning in advance as well as coordination with suppliers, the team was able to overcome these issues. Hughes procured materials as early as suitable to mitigate any issues with increasing costs and the amount of escalation subcontractors carry in their bids. It was important to set expectations with subcontractors in the bid documents as to how this should be handled. Regular collaboration with subcontractors, timely/thorough submittal review, early procurement where possible, and limiting scope gaps were all vital to schedule compliance. Manpower was mitigated by vetting subcontractors so that they understood the schedule requirements of the project and were in a situation to actually staff the project appropriately.

Please communicate any engineering complexities or unique features of the panel design for this project. ? The structure is constructed of open-web steel roof joists, composite steel and concrete suspended mezzanine floors and a suspended concrete lid across the 10’ deep mechanical tunnel. The mechanical tunnel spans the width of the manufacturing facility. The manufacturing area also has a two-story equipment mezzanine. Bridge cranes extend across the building and continue to the exterior yard. The walls are a combination of solid concrete tilt-up panels and insulated tilt-up sandwich panels. The structural wall panels are 38’-8” tall with the structural face only being 9.25” thick. They are designed using slender-wall analysis which allows for the height-to-thickness ratio to be more than twice as much as a conventional concrete bearing wall. This greatly reduces the amount of concrete that would normally be required for the bearing walls. The insulated sandwich panels provided continuous insulation and a energy efficiencies in compliance with the energy code, which providing durable and resilient wall surfaces. The tilt-up wall panels provide the structural system for the gravity loads as well as acting as shear walls for the lateral loads due to wind and seismic. They also serve as the building envelope and architectural finish for the building.

What is the potential for this project's impact on the community and/or environment? As a manufacturing facility with high traffic and movement, the GOEX flooring would receive extreme weight and pressure. Heavy machine weight and traffic can cause concrete to crack along the joints, later requiring replacement. With the aim of providing the highest quality product possible, Hughes utilized MagicSlab™ concrete within the warehouse. That allowed Hughes reduced cold-joints or saw-cuts—fewer saw-cuts and joints means less future maintenance and no need for replacement. The new facility also adds to the manufacturing facilities in Iron County. GOEX not only joined Iron County’s manufacturing space, it rewrote the landscape with a new rail spur to be utilized by their company as well and neighboring businesses. Bringing further manufacturing abilities to the state was crucial as that industry is a backbone of our country and our economy.