Copper Crossing #7

Summarize the project's program, features and achievements?

Copper Crossing @ I-80 Building 7 is a 680,243-sf facility built for Holcim, who will use the facility to manufacture and distribute polyisocyanurate roofing insulation and various sizes of sheet metal. The structure is made up of tilt-up concrete panels with an aluminum storefront, ACM metal panels at the entry, and a painted exterior. Other exterior features include multiple 16’x16’ drive-in doors, dock doors with levelers, a covered liquid storage unload area, and multiple areas with chemical storage tanks. Multiple Holcim and Holcim Elevate products were utilized during construction. The team used Holcim’s FortiCem blended cement, which significantly reduced the carbon footprint in the footings, foundation, floors, and tilt panels. The roof structure includes Elevate UltraPly TPO roofing membrane, ISOGARD insulation, and Elevate SunWave skylights.

Inside, Copper Crossing houses approximately 8,000 sf of office space, including a lobby and reception area, large training room, trucker lounge, break rooms, open office space, and conference rooms. The facility also contains specialized zones tailored to its unique requirements. It includes a 14,000-sf flammable storage room equipped with racking and an in-rack fire suppression system, a laboratory room, and a large bulk chemical storage room. To meet the high energy demands of its manufacturing processes, the facility is equipped with a specialized high-pressure gas line and 4,000 amps of electrical service.

The design team approached this project with the Owner’s needs in mind. One request they had was that the building must be able to convert into a cross-deck facility, should the need arise. To fulfill this request, the design team worked with potential expansion in mind, ensuring the design allowed for additional docks to be added without major modifications. The new facility is also designed to expand Holcim’s storage by over 1000% and will provide enough space for production volume to increase by 40%. The additional space and production increase have allowed Holcim to bring another division of their company to the space. The construction of this project was very successful due to meticulous collaboration between the design team, construction crew, and subcontractors. Because of all the little details specific to the manufacturing processes that would take place in this facility, there was no room for error. The Big-D team made sure everyone on site was on the same page, including coordinating with subcontractors hired directly by the Owner. Ultimately, the final product gave Holcim the necessary setup to produce insulation board using a specific laminator from Italy. The team also worked diligently to secure permits and approvals for air quality, hazardous materials, and rail compliance in a timely manner, so the project could be completed schedule.

What obstacles were overcome related to the schedule, budget, program, specification, site, etc. on this project?

The design and construction teams had to collaborate closely to coordinate production piping, product flow, and traffic flows on the site. Piping is crucial to the production of polyiso, as the chemicals needed for the product are delivered via truck and rail, stored in different tanks around the site, then combined. The byproduct is piped into an incinerator, which collects any pollutants in the form of bricks, which are collected and properly disposed of. With all these different pipe systems running throughout the building and site, it was crucial for AE Urbia and Big-D to work together to ensure that the pipes were placed properly. Big-D had to work closely with Dominion Engineering to coordinate the installation of a high-pressure gas line. The team only had a year to bring power and high-pressure gas to the site from over _ miles away but was able to get it done through constant coordination, approvals from the City, and quick work from the installation team.

Please communicate any engineering complexities or unique features of the panel design for this project?

Typically the recommended height to thickness ratio for a tilt-up slender wall is 50. The wall panels are 47' tall and only 9.25" thick, reinforced with #5 bars in each face. This is a height to thickness ration of approximately 61. The 28 day design compression strength was 4,500 psi. FortiCem blended cement was used to reduce the carbon footprint of the building.

The exterior tilt-up walls act as both bearing walls as well as shear walls for the high seismic area. The tilt-up wall was painted, providing the architectural finish. At the main entry, the tilt-up was covered with an insulated metal panel veneer.

The Copper Crossing 7 project utilized innovative value engineering, resulting in significant cost savings. By opting for a 7” concrete slab in lieu of an 8” slab, the project saved $250,000. The use of Ashford sealer instead of MasterTop 100 Hardener contributed an additional $120,000 in savings.